Best Pitchers In The Lively Ball Era

Posted by Steve L. on November 20th, 2011 · Comments (3)

If asked, I would say that the “Lively Ball Era” in baseball was from 1920 through 1941. In this time, a cork-and-rubber-center ball, replacing a rubber-core ball, was now consistently used by both the National and American Leagues. Pitchers, sans a handful of grand-fathered cases, were no longer permitted to alter baseballs or use trick pitches. A fresh ball was used in play at all times. During this period, on average, nearly ten runs were scored per game. Batting average and homerun records were shattered. In 1930, the National League’s batting average was over .300.

So, in this time of offense, who were the best pitchers in baseball?

Here’s a couple of ways to look at it.

First, via Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index :

Source: http://waswatching.com