The five best starters of the Yankees

The rankings and selections of the best players in different positions is something that always creates debates and different opinions among baseball lovers. Selecting the five best starters in the history of the Yankees is not an easy task, but here is my ideal rotation:

Known as “The Chairman of the Board,” the legendary Bronx Bombers left-handed pitcher left indelible marks in the pinstripe uniform he wore throughout his 16-year career. His 236 wins, 3170.1 innings of work, 438 games pitched and 45 shutouts, place him as the leader in all those categories and another five more, at the head of all Yankees starting pitchers. Whitey was also the winner of the Cy Young Award in 1961 and champion of six World Series, being the MVP of one of them in 1961.

“El Zurdo Maravilloso”, as the narrator Beto Villa nicknamed him, proudly wore the Yankees jersey for 15 seasons. In that time frame, Andy won 219 games (3rd in that department) and struck out 2,020 batters, leading all Bronx pitchers in that statistic, while also co-leading White Ford in games pitched with 438. In the postseason, Pettitte shone extra, winning four rings, being the ALCS MVP in 2001 and his 19 wins in those competitions, put him at the head of all Major League pitchers.

Few pitchers were better than Red Ruffing during the 1930s and mid-1940s. With the Yankees, Charles Herbert Ruffing spent 15 of his 22 years in Major League uniforms. With the Bombers he won 231 games (2nd in that category), faced 13,353 batters and completed 261 games, leading in both categories. Ruffing is also the fifth-best pitcher in WAR, second in innings pitched and fifth in strikeouts among all Bronx pitchers.

“The Louisiana Lightning,” left-handed pitcher feared by all his rivals during the 1970s and 1980s. Winner of the Cy Young Award in 1978 and a four-time All-Star, Ron was a Yankee during his 14-year career in Las Greater. He went on to win 170 games (5th in that department), is fourth in WAR, seventh in games pitched, fifth in games started, sixth in shutouts and struck out 1,778 opponents, which ranks third among the most striking out Bombers in the league. history.

Despite not having spent his entire career with the Yankees, as Ford and Guidry did, Sabathia in his 11 seasons with the Bombers, left indelible memories and was a leader within the team since his arrival. In three of his six All-Star selections, CC represented the Bronx. In 2009, the left-hander from Vallejo, California, was one of the mainstays on the team that ended up winning the World Series and in that year’s ALCS, Sabathia took home the MVP award. Among Yankee stats, his 7,977 strikeouts put him eighth on the all-time list among Bombers, he’s also 13th in WAR, 10th in wins, 20th in games pitched, 11th in innings pitched and seventh in starts.

I want to give an honorable mention to Lefty Gomez, it was really hard to leave him out. Of 14 years in the best baseball in the world, 13 were with the Yankees and with them he won 189 games (4th), left a WAR of 43.4 (6th), 2498.1 innings (5th) and struck out 1468 opponents (6th).

Other stars I’d like to mention: Bob Shawkey, Mel Stottlemyre, Herb Pennock, Wayte Hoyt, Jack Chesbro and Allie Reynolds.