The 1990s were a dream decade for pitching in Major League Baseball. This was the era of power arms, surgical control, and postseason legends. These eight hurlers were iconic. Whether they were racking up strikeouts, stacking Cy Youngs, or owning the October spotlight, these guys made hitters look helpless. Let’s count down the eight best pitchers of the 1990s—from brilliant tacticians to overpowering flamethrowers.
8. Kevin Brown – The Quiet Destroyer
Kevin Brown didn’t get the headlines, but he got the outs. With a 3.00 ERA over the decade and a league-best 1.89 ERA in 1996, he was quietly one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. He finished the ’90s with 147 wins and over 1,600 strikeouts. Brown also helped lead both the Marlins (1997) and Padres (1998) to the World Series, proving he could do it under the brightest lights.
7. Mike Mussina – Mr. Consistent
Mike Mussina might not have won a Cy Young in the ’90s, but no one questioned his reliability. From 1992 to 1999 he posted seven straight seasons of double-digit wins. He racked up 136 wins during the decade with a sparkling 3.63 ERA and pinpoint control. “Moose” was the master of mixing speeds and painting the corners—and always seemed one step ahead of hitters.
6. Tom Glavine – The Ice-Cold Ace
Glavine wasn’t blowing hitters away—he was outsmarting them. He won two Cy Young Awards in the ’90s (1991 and 1998) and finished the decade with 164 wins, and carried a 3.41 ERA. The key? His legendary changeup and ice-in-the-veins demeanor. He was the perfect contrast to his power-pitching peers and helped anchor the Braves’ historic rotation.
5. Pedro Martinez – The Strikeout Surgeon
Pedro didn’t become fully unstoppable until the 2000s, but his ’90s resume is plenty rich. From 1997 to 1999, he posted back-to-back ERA titles and a jaw-dropping 313 strikeouts in 1999 with just 37 walks. That year, he also won the AL Cy Young and finished second in MVP voting. Even in the steroid era, Pedro made some of the game’s best hitters look absolutely lost.
4. Greg Maddux – The Professor at His Peak
Few pitchers ever combined intelligence and execution like Greg Maddux. In the ’90s alone, he won four straight Cy Youngs from 1992 to 1995, posted a decade ERA of 2.54, and finished with 176 wins. In 1995, he had a 1.63 ERA and walked just 23 batters all season. He wasn’t overpowering—he just knew exactly where to put the ball every single time.
3. David Cone – The Postseason Predator
David Cone made his name in the biggest moments. He won 149 games in the ’90s with a 3.33 ERA and tossed a perfect game in 1999. He won World Series titles with both the Blue Jays (1992) and Yankees (1996, 1998, 1999), showing up huge in October. A five-time All-Star in the decade, Cone combined durability, deception, and playoff heroics into one lethal package.
2. Randy Johnson – The Big Unit Unleashed
With a fastball from hell and a slider from another dimension, Randy Johnson was the most feared pitcher of the decade. He racked up 2,538 strikeouts in the ’90s, won the 1995 AL Cy Young, and led the league in K’s five times. After joining the Diamondbacks in 1999, he immediately posted a 2.48 ERA and 364 strikeouts. Left-handed hitters? They didn’t stand a chance. Right-handers? Only slightly better.
1. Roger Clemens – The Rocket Reignites
He started the decade great—and finished it even better. Roger Clemens won three Cy Young Awards in the 1990s (1991, 1997, 1998) and posted a combined ERA of 2.90 with 1,993 strikeouts in the decade. His 1997 season with Toronto (21–7, 2.05 ERA, 292 K) was a masterpiece, and he backed it up with another Cy in 1998. He reinvented himself, stayed dominant, and finished the decade as the most complete pitcher in baseball.
Unbelievably Great Pitchers of the 1990’s
From the sheer dominance of Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens to the crafty genius of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, the ’90s gave us a full spectrum of pitching greatness. These eight names weren’t just the best of their time—they were generational anchors, rotation-topping warhorses, and postseason warriors.
