The Top 40 Pitchers in Baseball History, Ranked

#20: Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale pitched like he was defending a family secret. The Dodgers’ enforcer of the 1960s, Drysdale’s inside pitch wasn’t a strategy but a threat. At 6’5”, he was a towering, sunlit shadow in Los Angeles. He won a Cy Young, made nine All-Star teams, and once threw 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings—a record when it happened.

Drysdale pitched with venom and control, a rare brew of intimidation and command. His delivery was swift; his demeanor was stone. He didn’t chat. He challenged. In the age of Mays and Aaron, Drysdale didn’t try to be liked. He just dared you to dig in.