All Yankee team, 1965-2016 pitchers

Picking the best Yankee starters form 196 onward was tough. A number of guys could have slotted from 3-5. Whitey Ford barely missed the timeline. If the list had gone back a few years further he would have probably been number one. I thought the first two were fairly easy, after that, things got dicey. Roger Clemens could have conceivably been on the list. His record as a Yankee was an outstanding 83-42. His ERA was surprisingly high at 4.02. Roger didn't make the team because other guys had similar numbers, minus the controversy. So, here we go:

Starter: Ron Guidry Ron was an easy choice at number one. From 1975-89 Guidry compiled a 170-91 record with an ERA of 3.29. Guidry's best season was 1978 when he had a jaw dropping record of 25-3 to go with n ERA of 1.74. Guidry was also excellent in limited post season play, going 5-2 with an ERA of 3.02. For me, Louisiana Lightning was the best.

Starter: Mel Stottlemyre Mel had the misfortune to pitch for some bad Yankee teams in the 60's and 70's. He still compiled a record of 164-139. Mel also completed 152 starts, including 24 in 1969. Mel's ERA for his 11 year Yankee career was an excellent 2.97. Mel was able to compile excellent stats despite leading the American League in losses twice. In both those years, his ERA was under 4.00. Mel pitched 11 years for the Yankees and put together an outstanding WAR of 40.6.

Starter: Andy Pettit In Andy's case, consistency and longevity place a role in his nailing down the third slot. The lefty compiled a record 219-127 with the Yankees while finishing with an ERA of 3.94. Andy was also tough in post season winning 19 games while losing 11. His post season ERA was 3.81.

Starter: Mike Mussina Admittedly a number of guys could have taken this slot, but I gave it to Mussina. After a nice 10 year stint with the Orioles. Moose came over and gave the Yankees 8 good years. Mussina's best year was actually his last, 2008. He went 20-9 that season. For his 8 years with the Yankees, Mike finished at 123-72 with an ERA of 3.88. Post season play is always a factor when you're talking about the Yankees. While Mussina's post season record was 7-8, his ERA was 3.42. Mike was a precision pitcher and a winner.

Starter: David Wells David is a sneaky good Yankee. During his two tours of duty with the Yankees, David finished at 68-28 with an ERA of 3.90. Wells was also 7-2 in post season play with the Yankees. Some might have picked C. C. Sabathia, Roger Clemens or even Dave Righetti, but I went with Wells.

Reliever: Mariano Rivera Mariano was the easiest choice on this list. His cutter was one of the most effective pitches in the history of the game. His post season record is also the best of any reliever in the game. Mariano Rivera, an easy choice for the best Yankee reliever of all time.

Reliever: Goose Gossage Back in the days when manly men played the game of baseball and closers pitched more than one inning to pick up a save, Goose Gossage roamed the mound. Goose pitched for the Yankees from 1972-78. During that time he amassed 141 saves with a won-loss record of 57-40. Gossage had a K per 9 inning rate of less than 9. That amazes me. How a right handed hitter stood in there against Gossage is beyond me.

Reliever: Dave Righetti I gave the nod to Righetti over Sparky Lyle. Dave had more years with the Yankees, more saves and had the added bonus of having a few years as a successful starter in addition to his time as a reliever. Sparky would have made it on most teams, it's just the Yankees are loaded with outstanding relievers in their history.

That's my list, how does it compare with yours?