I saw Ryan pitch, too, but he was not as good as Koufax. Over the last 50 years, I'd put Koufax, Carlton, Gibson, and Seaver ahead of Ryan.
I've been following baseball for over 50 years and who can say for sure which was the best behind Koufax which I'll agree was the best. I saw Ryan pitch as an Angel, and as an Astro and numerous times as a Ranger. Putting him behind Carlton, Gibson and Seaver...no way. The ultimate is the no-hitter....which really levels the playing field so to speak and Ryan is far ahead in that measure...as well as total wins.
Here’s my test, Charles. If you pick one pitcher in his prime to win a ballgame for you, who is it? Once Koufax got control, he was an almost unhittable machine.
Greg Maddux fits in here somewhere. I'm just not sure where as he was from a totally different mold than the rest of the group. Still 355 career wins and 18 gold gloves speaks for itself.
Vanity post here. I have tried to find websites that list All Star games by year with the rosters, etc. but no luck. Any place you know of that may have that info? I have two autographed baseballs that my BIL gave me when I was a kid - probably 1968 to 1971 range. I think they must be from an All-Star games - probably at the Met Stadium in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
One of them has Sandy Koufax, Ernie Banks, Pete Rose, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Joe Torre, Frank Robinson, Bob Veale, and lots of others I don’t recognize. I did not realize that Willie Mays were still around when Pete Rose was playing.
The other is written in a different ink and is more faded and fewer names that I know, but I see Jim Hunter and Bert Campeneras.