Name the only pitcher since 1920 to throw 4,000 or more innings with a career ERA below 3.00. Answer below the fold.
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Tom Seaver, who cleared both hurdles easily, with a 2.86 ERA in more than 4,700 innings. Jim Palmer fell just short of 4,000 innings, and Greg Maddux, who joined Seaver in this exclusive club in 2004, saw his career ERA pushed to 3.01 this season (Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson are also above 3.00). The other pitchers besides Palmer with between 3,000 and 4,000 IP since 1920 and a sub-3.00 ERA: Carl Hubbell, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, and Don Drysdale.
Seaver
I guess this is why he was a first ballot H-of-Famer and also received the highest percentage of votes of any inductee (I believe).
Higher than Ruth or Aaron or Cobb (which is kind of silly, if you think about; each of those three should have been unanimous selections).
SMG