Sports List of the Day’s Top 20 Postseason Baseball Posts

1. Top 20 Baseball Players with the Most World Series Rings

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2. Baseball Teams with the Most World Series Titles

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3. Baseball Teams that Lost the Most World Series

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4. The New York Yankees’ 27 World Series Championships

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5. Most Hits, Home Runs and RBI in World Series History

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6. Baseball Teams that Have Not Won a World Series

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7. MLB Video: Top 5 Players with the Most Home Runs in Postseason History

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8. Most Wins in Postseason, World Series, LCS and LDS History (Pitchers)

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9. Back-to-Back World Series Winners and Dynasties

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10. Baseball Players with the Most Home Runs in a Postseason Game

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11. Most Home Runs Hit in a Single World Series

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12. Best Hitters in Playoff History

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13. Current Consecutive Playoff Appearances and Droughts

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14. Teams that Have Come Back from 3-0 To Win in Game 7

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15. Number of Pennants (World Series Appearances) By Team

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16. Baseball Teams that Have Come Back from 3-1 in the Postseason (ALCS, NLCS)

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17. Top 15 Watched World Series Since 1973

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18. MLB: Longest Winning Streaks in Playoff History

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19. Most Wins, Strikeouts, Shutouts and Saves in World Series History

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20. Most Home Runs in a Single Postseason

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Photos: gettyimages.com / math.hws.edu / dmbworldseriesreplay.com / sportsposterwarehouse.com / pophistorydig.com / logonoid.com / Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Sport via zimbio.com / nydailynews.com / ecoggins.hubpages.com / thegreedypinstripes.com / lugaluda.com / bleacherreport.com / gettyimages.com / Ezra Shaw/Getty Images via espn.com / gettyimages.com / sfgate.com / inhistoric.com / angelfire.com / diamond-replays.com / mvn.com

MLB: Strikeout-to-Walk Ratios of the Top 20 Strikeout Pitchers of All Time

Curt Schilling And Pedro Martinez Are The Two Best Control-Strikeout Pitchers Of All Time

Yesterday, Sports List of the Day dug some for another statistical indicator of career strikeout dominance – this time hand-in-hand with control. In other words, which pitchers in history struck out the most batters (minimum 1,000 K’s) while also walking the fewest. They’re the top 20 hurlers with the best strikeout-walk (K-BB) ratios.

But of the greatest strikeout pitchers (see the top 20 with the most strikeouts ever in the second list below), only three made that list. You see, the most dominant strikeout pitchers also, more often than not, walk a bunch of people, too.

Take the No. 1 strikeout pitcher, Nolan Ryan, a perfect example. Ryan struck out 5,714 batters – but also walked 2,795 (most ever, almost 1,000 more than the next guy).

Ryan has the second worst K-BB Ratio of the top 20, ahead of only knuckleballer Phil Niekro.

At the top, though, are those three pitchers alluded to above. Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez are the greatest control-strikeout pitchers the game has ever seen – both over 3,000 K’s and owning the two best K-BB ratios of all time. Mike Mussina is the third of the top 20 strikeout kings in terms of K-BB ratio (and 12th overall).

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RANKING TOP 20 STRIKEOUT PITCHERS BY K-BB RATIO

	PITCHER	K-BB RATIO	STRIKEOUTS RANK	STRIKEOUTS	WALKS	ARM	CAREER SPAN
1.	Curt Schilling	4.38	15.	3,116	711	R	1988-2007
2.	Pedro Martinez	4.15	13.	3,154	760	R	1992-2009
3.	Mike Mussina	3.58	19.	2,813	785	R	1991-2008
4.	Greg Maddux	3.37	10.	3,371	999	R	1986-2008
5.	Randy Johnson	3.26	2.	4,875	1,497	L	1988-2009
6.	Fergie Jenkins	3.20	12.	3,192	997	R	1965-1983
7.	John Smoltz	3.05	16.	3,084	1,010	R	1988-1999, 2001-2009
8.	Roger Clemens	2.96	3.	4,672	1,580	R	1984-2007
9.	Jim Bunning	2.86	17.	2,855	1,000	R	1955-1971
10.	Bert Blyleven	2.80	5.	3,701	1,322	R	1970-1990, 1992
11.	Don Sutton	2.66	7.	3,574	1,343	R	1966-1988
12.	Tom Seaver	2.62	6.	3,640	1,390	R	1967-1986
13.	Mickey Lolich	2.58	18.	2,832	1,099	L	1963-1976, 1978, 1979
14.	Walter Johnson	2.57	9.	3,509	1,363	R	1907-1927
15.	Gaylord Perry	2.56	8.	3,534	1,379	R	1962-1983
16.	Bob Gibson	2.33	14.	3,117	1,336	R	1959-1975
17.	Cy Young*	2.30	20.	2,803	1,217	R	1890-1911
18.	Steve Carlton	2.26	4.	4,136	1,833	L	1965-1988
19.	Frank Tanana	2.21	21.	2,773	1,255	L	1973-1993
20.	Nolan Ryan	2.04	1.	5,714	2,795	R	1966, 1968-1993
21.	Phil Niekro	1.85	11.	3,342	1,809	R	1964-1987

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TOP 20 PITCHERS WITH THE MOST STRIKEOUTS

	PITCHER	K-WALKS RATIO	STRIKEOUTS	WALKS	ARM	CAREER SPAN
1.	Nolan Ryan	2.04	5,714	2,795	R	1966, 1968-1993
2.	Randy Johnson	3.26	4,875	1,497	L	1988-2009
3.	Roger Clemens	2.96	4,672	1,580	R	1984-2007
4.	Steve Carlton	2.26	4,136	1,833	L	1965-1988
5.	Bert Blyleven	2.80	3,701	1,322	R	1970-1990, 1992
6.	Tom Seaver	2.62	3,640	1,390	R	1967-1986
7.	Don Sutton	2.66	3,574	1,343	R	1966-1988
8.	Gaylord Perry	2.56	3,534	1,379	R	1962-1983
9.	Walter Johnson	2.57	3,509	1,363	R	1907-1927
10.	Greg Maddux	3.37	3,371	999	R	1986-2008
11.	Phil Niekro	1.85	3,342	1,809	R	1964-1987
12.	Fergie Jenkins	3.20	3,192	997	R	1965-1983
13.	Pedro Martinez	4.15	3,154	760	R	1992-2009
14.	Bob Gibson	2.33	3,117	1,336	R	1959-1975
15.	Curt Schilling	4.38	3,116	711	R	1988-2007
16.	John Smoltz	3.05	3,084	1,010	R	1988-1999, 2001-2009
17.	Jim Bunning	2.86	2,855	1,000	R	1955-1971
18.	Mickey Lolich	2.58	2,832	1,099	L	1963-1976, 1978, 1979
19.	Mike Mussina	3.58	2,813	785	R	1991-2008
20.	Cy Young*	2.30	2,803	1,217	R	1890-1911
21.	Frank Tanana	2.21	2,773	1,255	L	1973-1993

* Cy Young is the only pre-1901 pitcher. I left him in and added a 21st pitcher to cover the all-time list and also the current era (1901-present) of the unification of the National and American Leagues into Major League Baseball.

Photos: Elsa, Getty Images via kool1079.com / lifetimetopps.wordpress.com

MLB: Top 20 Pitchers with the Best Career Strikeout-to-Walk Ratios

Minimum 1,000 strikeouts, 1901-Present

	PITCHER	K-BB RATIO	K	BB*	ARM	CAREER SPAN
1.	Curt Schilling	4.38	3,116	711	R	1988-2007
2.	Pedro Martinez	4.15	3,154	760	R	1992-2009
3.	Mariano Rivera	4.10	1,173	286	R	1995-2013
4.	Dan Haren	4.04	1,851	458	R	2003-Present
5.	Cliff Lee	3.93	1,824	464	L	2002-Present
6.	Cole Hamels	3.78	1,667	441	L	2006-Present
7.	Trevor Hoffman	3.69	1,133	307	R	1993-2010
8.	Jon Lieber	3.68	1,553	422	R	1994-2002, 2004-2008
9.	Bret Saberhagen	3.64	1,715	471	R	1984-1995, 1997-1999, 2001
10.	Ben Sheets	3.59 (3.5908)	1,325	369	R	2001-2008, 2010, 2012
11.	Zack Greinke	3.59 (3.5879)	1,654	461	R	2004-Present
12.	Mike Mussina	3.58 (3.5834)	2,813	785	R	1991-2008
13.	Roy Halladay	3.58 (3.5760)	2,117	592	R	1998-2013
14.	Roy Oswalt	3.56	1,852	520	R	2001-2013
14.	James Shields	3.56	1,592	447	R	2006-Present
16.	Johan Santana	3.51	1,988	567	L	2000-2010, 2012
17.	David Price	3.48	1,100	316	L	2008-Present
18.	Ricky Nolasco	3.45	1,163	337	R	2006-Present
19.	Felix Hernandez	3.41	1,907	560	R	2005-Present
20.	Max Scherzer	3.40	1,278	376	R	2008-Present