As part of our celebration of America 250, MLB's content team has created 25 top 10 lists that capture the plays, people, rituals and moments that made baseball America’s game. We’ll be revealing five lists per week over the course of five weeks.
1. Nolan Ryan's unhittable fastball
Fastball helped Ryan break all-time strikeout record
Nolan Ryan's remarkable career, which ran from 1966 to 1993, came before the advent of modern pitch-tracking technology, but a primitive radar gun did clock his electric fastball at 100.9 mph back in 1974. If Ryan was throwing anywhere near that fast, it would explain why opposing hitters had such trouble with him. He struck out 5,714 batters, an all-time record unlikely to ever be broken.
2. Sandy Koufax's legendary curveball
With sharp downward break, Koufax's curveball was hard to square up
Sandy Koufax's curveball is considered the best of all time -- for good reason. The left-hander's massive hands helped him get incredible spin on his curve, which was known for its sharp downward bite. He used the pitch to power a Hall of Fame career in just 12 seasons before retiring at age 30 due to elbow pain, posting a 2.76 career ERA and winning three Cy Young Awards.
3. Mariano Rivera's signature cutter
Rivera's cutter broke bats -- and hitters' hearts
Mariano Rivera's all-time record of 652 saves is impressive enough, but the fact that he set it while throwing mostly one pitch is even more notable. In six seasons under pitch tracking (2008-13), he threw his signature cutter 87.6% of the time and still managed to keep hitters guessing. With excellent horizontal movement, Rivera's cutter broke countless bats, if opponents managed to make contact at all.
4. Pedro Martínez's changeup was a video-game pitch
Pedro's changeup considered the best of all time
It was nearly impossible for hitters to tell Pedro Martínez's devastating changeup from his fastball, leading to a ton of whiffs and weak contact. With long, flexible, double-jointed fingers, Martínez was able to generate incredible sideways movement on the pitch, which dived down and away from left-handed hitters. His changeup helped him amass 3,154 career strikeouts, including 313 in 1999 alone.
5. Randy Johnson's 'snappy' slider kept hitters off-balance
Good luck hitting Johnson's devastating slider
During a 22-year career that landed him in the Hall of Fame, Randy Johnson supplemented an electric fastball with perhaps the best slider in baseball history. The pitch mimicked Johnson's high-octane heater for most of the way to home plate before making a sharp horizontal turn, breaking toward right-handed hitters and away from lefties. Johnson dubbed his slider "Mr. Snappy."
6. An elite screwball helped spark 'Fernandomania'
No one throws this pitch anymore, but Fernando Valenzuela mastered it
The screwball is one of the rarest pitches in baseball: No pitcher has thrown one in 2026, and only six hurlers under pitch tracking (since 2008) have employed the offspeed offering, which breaks sharply away from right-handed hitters when thrown by a lefty like Fernando Valenzuela. But Valenzuela absolutely mastered the pitch, which helped him burst onto the scene as the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner in 1981.
7. Jacob Misiorowski's historic heater
'The Miz' lights up the radar gun with this heater
Jacob Misiorowski is in a league of his own velocity-wise among starting pitchers, unquestionably throwing harder than any other starter in the pitch tracking era (since 2008) and striking out hitters in bunches. His four-seamer has averaged 100.7 mph in 2026 and has reached up to 105.5 mph. Misiorowski, the 2026 NL Cy Young favorite, has averaged 13 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.
8. Clayton Kershaw's beautiful curveball
Kershaw's true '12-to-6' curveball was a sight to see
Clayton Kershaw's curveball remains one of the most aesthetically pleasing pitches in MLB history, as well as one of the best. Never blessed with elite velocity, Kershaw nonetheless used a five-pitch repertoire to cobble together a career that will almost surely land him in the Hall of Fame. His curveball, thrown with perfect "12-to-6" downward movement, will be remembered as his best offering.
9. Greg Maddux's pinpoint two-seamer
Maddux could place his two-seamer anywhere he wanted
Greg Maddux made do without overpowering velocity thanks to one-of-a-kind command, placing his pitches practically wherever he wanted to. Thanks to last-second lateral movement, his two-seam fastball was the filthiest offering in his bag of tricks. The four-time Cy Young winner loved to rack up strikeouts by breaking his two-seamer right over the edge of the plate for a sneaky third strike.
10. Tim Wakefield's unpredictable knuckleball
Wakefield's knuckler wasn't easy to barrel up
The knuckleball is a lost art in today's game -- only one active pitcher throws it regularly -- but it was a pitch Tim Wakefield mastered. He used the pitch to build a 19-year career, which included 17 seasons for the Red Sox. Wakefield's knuckler typically clocked in below 70 mph on the radar, but with a total lack of spin and unpredictable movement all over the place, it proved tough to square up.
Honorable Mentions:
Bert Blyleven's curveball
Tug McGraw's screwball
Bruce Sutter's splitter
Candy Cummings' curveball
Phil Niekro's knuckleball
Satchel Paige's hesitation pitch
Trevor Hoffman's changeup
Carl Hubbell's screwball
Tom Glavine's changeup
Steve Carlton's slider
Mason Miller's slider
Zack Greinke's eephus curve
Johan Santana's changeup
Barry Zito's curveball