Every once in a while, a pitcher will have a season that makes you sit up and say "Oh my goodness!". A quick scan of the numbers should demonstrate that Walter Johnson had one of those seasons this year.

         This was almost certainly Johnson's best year, so I'll say something about him here. First, the legend. Walter Johnson was a big kid from the midwest who slung the ball sidearm at speeds that astonished all who saw him pitch. He was signed by the Washington Senators, and pitched his entire career with them. Despite playing for mostly bad teams throughout his career, Johnson won 417 games, the second most ever. He struck out 3509 batters, a record that stood until 1983. He holds the career record for shutouts, with 110.
         Johnson threw hard, all the time. No other pitcher at that time threw so hard on every pitch. He threw strikes, hardly walked anybody, and had incredible endurance. He had the reputation of being a fine country gentleman, at once being honest, intelligent, humble, soft-spoken, and kindly. In 1924, at age 36 and in his 18th season, Johnson led the AL in wins, and led the Senators to their first pennant. They won the World Series, with Johnson saving the final game.
         So where does Johnson rank among the greatest pitchers ever? I've given him eight Cy Young Awards, tying him with Lefty Grove for the most of any pitcher. I believe that Grove is the greatest pitcher ever, with Johnson ranking second. I don't think any other pitcher has a career that compares with either of those two. Greg Maddux is just as dominant, but is only in mid-career at this writing.
         There is also some debate over whether Johnson is the greatest strikeout pitcher ever. Johnson's strikeout record lasted 56 years before it was broken by Steve Carlton. Nolan Ryan is now the career leader, with Johnson still in the top ten. Johnson led the league in strikeouts 12 times, one more than Ryan. I think Ryan is the best strikeout pitcher; Ryan had 5714 strikeouts, 2205 more than Johnson. That's a huge difference. Of course, Johnson pitched in an era in which strikeouts were hard to come by, but that doesn't make up a difference of over 2000.
         Eddie Cicotte had one of the best years of his fine career. Reb Russell had a great rookie season, then never pitched all that well again. Cy Falkenberg was a journeyman who broke through with a fine season, then jumped to the expansion Federal League. He had another great year in the FL, but the league soon died, as did Falkenberg's career.