The Indians have fielded a long list of talented pitchers in their 120 years of existence. They’ve had gluttonous innings-eaters, strikeout kings and Cy Young-winning stoics, hard-throwers, soft-tossers and World Series heroics.

Some scuffed the ball before they tossed it, back when players donned wool uniforms and had nicknames like Cap and Pop. Some applied saliva to the ball to add mystery to its flight path. Some simply launched the ball over the center-field fence when frustration levels peaked.

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Bob Feller fired his fastball past a speeding motorcycle. Ray Caldwell recorded the final out of a game after being struck by lightning. Corey Kluber offered the slightest hint at a smile once.

Two weeks ago, we unveiled the top 25 position-player seasons in Indians history. Now, we shift to the pitching side.

This exercise was more challenging, with more candidates and more variables. How much should era (and ERA) factor into the equation? Should walks and strikeouts matter? What about innings totals? If Kluber pitched in the 1920s, for instance, he surely would have logged 300 frames per season.

This is far from a scientific list, so feel free to chime in with your rankings in the comments below. Note: Any bolded statistic indicates the player led the league in that category.

Honorable mention

Earl Moore, 1903: 1.74 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 247 IP, 165 ERA+

Addie Joss, 1904: 1.59 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 192 IP, 4.4% BB, 12.2% K, 162 ERA+

Addie Joss, 1906: 1.72 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 282 IP, 4.4% BB, 10.9% K, 153 ERA+

Addie Joss, 1909: 1.71 ERA, 2.10 FIP, 242 IP, 3.3% BB, 7.2% K, 150 ERA+

Vean Gregg, 1911: 1.80 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 244 IP, 9.2% BB, 13.3% K, 189 ERA+

Willie Mitchell, 1913: 1.91 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 217 IP, 10.2% BB, 16.3% K, 160 ERA+

Jim Bagby, 1917: 1.99 ERA, 2.73 FIP, 320 IP, 5.6% BB, 6.4% K, 142 ERA+

Mel Harder, 1933: 2.95 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 253 IP, 6.3% BB, 7.6% K, .260 AVG, .661 OPS, 152 ERA+

Mike Garcia, 1952: 2.37 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 292 IP, 7.0% BB, 11.6% K, .253 AVG, .626 OPS, 141 ERA+

Bob Lemon, 1952: 2.50 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 309 IP, 8.4% BB, 10.5% K, .208 AVG, .575 OPS, 134 ERA+

Herb Score, 1955: 2.85 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 227 IP, 15.8% BB, 25.1% K, .194 AVG, .628 OPS, 141 ERA+

Sam McDowell, 1970: 2.92 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 305 IP, 10.4% BB, 24.2% K, .213 AVG, .619 OPS, 134 ERA+

Gaylord Perry, 1974: 2.51 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 322 IP, 7.8% BB, 17.1% K, .204 AVG, .583 OPS, 144 ERA+

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Charles Nagy, 1992: 2.96 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 252 IP, 5.6% BB, 16.6% K, .260 AVG, .647 OPS, 132 ERA+

Corey Kluber, 2018: 2.89 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 215 IP, 4.0% BB, 26.4% K, .223 AVG, .624 OPS, 150 ERA+

Relievers are people, too

Initially, this was going to be one, all-welcoming list. But it became doubly difficult to evaluate relievers while also sorting out starting-pitching merits for different eras. So, here are a handful of relievers who received consideration for the top 25 before ultimately carving out their own category.

José Mesa, 1995

The numbers: 1.13 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 64 IP, 6.8% BB, 23.2% K, .216 AVG, .541 OPS, 418 ERA+

Following a failed bid at starting, Mesa was nearly flawless in 1995. He converted his first 38 save opportunities and 46 of 48 overall (and the Indians won both games in which he relinquished a late lead). The Indians initially planned to go with a committee until Mike Hargrove and pitching coach Mark Wiley opted to leave Mesa in a tight game to face left-handed slugger Mo Vaughn at Fenway Park in May. Mesa struck out Vaughn to seal the win and never looked back. Wiley praised Mesa for how he seemingly silenced the first hitter of every inning; Mesa held them to seven hits in 60 at-bats, good for a .117/.145/.183 slash line.

Andrew Miller, 2017

The numbers: 1.44 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 62 IP, 8.6% BB, 38.9% K, .144 AVG, .440 OPS, 319 ERA+

Miller was actually better in 2016 — do a 123-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 44.7 percent strikeout rate tickle your fancy? — but he spent only part of that season with the Indians. He maintained his dominance with an All-Star campaign in 2017 and jarring statistics across the board, as Terry Francona deployed him whenever the team needed to put out a fire.

Rafael Betancourt, 2007

The numbers: 1.47 ERA, 2.22 FIP, 79 IP, 3.1% BB, 27.7% K, .183 AVG, .485 OPS, 307 ERA+

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Whether it was his pinpoint command or his ability to lull the hitter into a deep sleep with his deliberate routine on the mound, Betancourt thrived as a setup man for the Indians in the mid-aughts. This was his masterpiece, with 80 strikeouts and only nine walks (only six unintentional).

Doug Jones, 1988

The numbers: 2.27 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 83 IP, 4.7% BB, 21.3% K, .218 AVG, .528 OPS, 181 ERA+

This was the first of three consecutive All-Star nods for Jones as a member of the Indians. His 3.7 fWAR ranks first for a reliever in Indians history. He allowed only one home run all season.

Mike Jackson, 1998

The numbers: 1.55 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 64 IP, 5.4% BB, 23.0% K, .195 AVG, .542 OPS, 309 ERA+

On the heels of a dominant postseason in October 1997, Jackson assumed the closer role from Mesa and racked up 40 saves and a microscopic ERA.

The Indians’ three-headed monster, 1976
Dave LaRoche: 61 G, 96 IP, 2.24 ERA, 2.30 FIP, 9.7 K/9
Jim Kern: 50 G, 117 IP, 2.37 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 8.5 K/9
Stan Thomas: 37 G, 105 IP, 2.30 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 4.6 K/9

Kern and LaRoche rank third and fourth among relievers in club history, respectively, in fWAR for a season.

25. CC Sabathia, 2007

The numbers: 3.21 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 241 IP, .259 AVG, .684 OPS, 141 ERA+

Sabathia’s signature season with the Indians earned him his lone Cy Young Award. It was also his last full year in Cleveland.

24. Addie Joss, 1907

The numbers: 1.83 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 338 IP, 4.6% BB, 10.8% K, 137 ERA+

One hundred years before Sabathia’s Cy Young campaign, Joss tossed 338 innings and allowed a mere 69 runs in a slightly different environment. His 1904 season would have landed here, but he logged 146 more innings in 1907. The crazy part is his 1.83 ERA was only 37 percent better than the adjusted league average.

23. Johnny Allen, 1937

The numbers: 2.55 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 173 IP, 8.4% BB, 12.2% K, .244 AVG, .644 OPS, 176 ERA+

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A year before he earned more attention for his temper and wardrobe than his pitching, Allen outperformed a couple of rotation mates named Feller and Harder. (Granted, Feller was only 18 at the time.)

22. Early Wynn, 1956

The numbers: 2.72 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 277 IP, 8.0% BB, 13.8% K, .228 AVG, .615 OPS, 154 ERA+

Wynn’s 1954 and 1956 seasons were mirror images, both highly productive.

1954: 2.73 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 7.5 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 5.2 K/9

1956: 2.72 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 7.6 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 5.1 K/9

Relative to the rest of the league, Wynn’s ’56 season fares much better, so we give that year the nod here.

21. Gene Bearden, 1948

The numbers: 2.43 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 229 IP, 11.3% BB, 8.6% K, .229 AVG, .631 OPS, 168 ERA+

It’s not often the league’s ERA leader tallies more walks than strikeouts. Bearden was a bit of a one-hit wonder; remove his 1948 season and he owned a 4.59 ERA in his career, with far more hits allowed than innings. But we can’t remove that 1948 showing, when he finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race and logged 10 2/3 scoreless innings to help lift the Indians to their most recent World Series triumph.

20. Mel Harder, 1934

The numbers: 2.61 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 255 IP, 7.5% BB, 8.5% K, .253 AVG, .644 OPS, 173 ERA+

Harder led the league in ERA and ERA+ in 1933, but he was a tick better in ’34, the first of his four All-Star seasons (the inaugural midsummer exhibition took place in ’33).

19. Sam McDowell, 1969

The numbers: 2.94 ERA, 2.29 FIP, 285 IP, 8.8% BB, 23.9% K, .213 AVG, .583 OPS, 127 ERA+

McDowell authored a slew of valuable seasons; he’ll pop up on this list a few more times. In 1969, he led the league in strikeouts, FIP and home run rate.

18. Stan Coveleski, 1920

The numbers: 2.49 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 315 IP, 5.1% BB, 10.4% K, .244 AVG, .609 OPS, 154 ERA+

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Coveleski totaled 26 complete games to amass a career-high 315 innings to go along with league-leading marks in FIP, WHIP and hit rate.

17. Bob Feller, 1939

The numbers: 2.85 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 296 IP, 11.4% BB, 19.8% K, .210 AVG, .597 OPS, 154 ERA+

This is good. It gets much better. Feller, 20 years old at the time, finished third in the AL MVP balloting, behind a couple of guys named Joe DiMaggio and Jimmie Foxx. Oh, and ahead of some gentleman named Ted Williams.

16. Mike García, 1949

The numbers: 2.36 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 175 IP, 8.3% BB, 13.1% K, .240 AVG, .624 OPS, 170 ERA+

In his first season in the majors — aside from one appearance in the team’s regular-season finale the previous year — García led the league in ERA, FIP and ERA+. He shifted between a starting and relief role. He recorded a complete-game shutout in five of his 20 starts.

15. Mike García, 1954

The numbers: 2.64 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 258 IP, 6.8% BB, 12.3% K, .230 AVG, .571 OPS, 140 ERA+

In 258 innings, García limited the opposition to six home runs. Six. He led the league in ERA, shutouts, FIP, WHIP and, of course, home run rate.

14. Trevor Bauer, 2018

The numbers: 2.21 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 175 IP, 8.0% BB, 30.8% K, .208 AVG, .582 OPS, 196 ERA+

What might Bauer have accomplished had he not missed the final month after a José Abreu comebacker struck his ankle? Bauer campaigned for the Cy Young Award, but he finished sixth, though likely due to a lack of quantity, not quality, as he finished second in the league in ERA and first in FIP. This is his signature season, the culmination of years of overhauling his delivery and refining his repertoire.

13. Corey Kluber, 2014

The numbers: 2.44 ERA, 2.35 FIP, 235 IP, 5.4% BB, 28.3% K, .233 AVG, .624 OPS, 160 ERA+

Kluber entered the year as a somewhat unproven middle-of-the-rotation starter and ended the year as the AL Cy Young Award winner. He nearly doubled his strikeout total from the previous year. To secure the hardware, he recorded a 1.12 ERA over his final five starts, averaging more than eight innings per outing and totaling five walks and 54 strikeouts.

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12. Stan Coveleski, 1918

The numbers: 1.82 ERA, 2.53 FIP, 311 IP, 6.1% BB, 6.9% K, .220 AVG, .561 OPS, 164 ERA+

Coveleski tossed 10 or more innings in a game on seven occasions, including a 19-inning complete game at the Polo Grounds in which he limited the Yankees to two runs.

11. Stan Coveleski, 1917

The numbers: 1.81 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 298 IP, 8.0% BB, 11.3% K, 156 ERA+

Nearly all of Coveleski’s seasons are gems, but this one stands out, with a career-high strikeout total and a career-best and league-leading hit rate, as he allowed only 202 hits in 298 innings.

10. Herb Score, 1956

The numbers: 2.53 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 249 IP, 12.5% BB, 25.5% K, .184 AVG, .567 OPS, 166 ERA+

Fresh off a Rookie of the Year and All-Star campaign in 1955, Score improved his numbers across the board in ’56 with more innings, more strikeouts (a league-leading 263), fewer walks, a better hit rate, a better ERA and a league-leading FIP and ERA+.

9. Cliff Lee, 2008

The numbers: 2.54 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 223 IP, 3.8% BB, 19.1% K, .253 AVG, .633 OPS, 167 ERA+

From start to finish, Lee stymied the opposition. By mid-May, he had made seven starts, allowing an earned run in only two of them. His ERA never crept higher than 2.58. He walked multiple batters in only 10 of his 31 starts. And he received 24 of 28 first-place votes to win the Cy Young Award.

8. Sam McDowell, 1968

The numbers: 1.81 ERA, 2.25 FIP, 269 IP, 10.0% BB, 25.8% K, .189 AVG, .541 OPS, 165 ERA+

The 1968 season earned the moniker “Year of the Pitcher,” as evidenced by the fact McDowell recorded a 1.81 ERA and a league-leading 283 strikeouts … and he wasn’t even the top pitcher in the Indians rotation.

7. Bob Feller, 1940

The numbers: 2.61 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 320 IP, 9.1% BB, 20.0% K, .210 AVG, .584 OPS, 163 ERA+

Feller couldn’t have started the season on a better note, as he tossed the only Opening Day no-hitter in league history. He ended the season with a league-best ERA, FIP and innings total, as well as a runner-up finish in the MVP voting.

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6. Sam McDowell, 1965

The numbers: 2.18 ERA, 2.08 FIP, 273 IP, 11.8% BB, 29.1% K, .185 AVG, .531 OPS, 161 ERA+

This is McDowell’s crown jewel, as he led the league in ERA, FIP, strikeouts, ERA+, hit rate, strikeout rate and home run rate. He set a career high with 325 strikeouts and received the first of his six All-Star nods.

5. Gaylord Perry, 1972

The numbers: 1.92 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 342 IP, 6.1% BB, 17.4% K, .205 AVG, .556 OPS, 168 ERA+

Perry’s first season in Cleveland was a ravishing success, as he posted a career-best ERA, led the league with 29 complete games and captured his first Cy Young Award.

4. Luis Tiant, 1968

The numbers: 1.60 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 258 IP, 7.4% BB, 26.8% K, .168 AVG, .495 OPS, 186 ERA+

Pitching ruled in 1968, but Tiant still stood out from the crowd, leading the league in ERA, FIP, ERA+, shutouts and his team-record rate of 5.3 hits allowed per nine innings. He limited hitters to a .495 OPS, the lowest mark for any Indians pitcher who logged at least 80 innings in a season. Tiant finished fifth in the AL MVP balloting.

3. Addie Joss, 1908

The numbers: 1.16 ERA, 1.68 FIP, 325 IP, 2.4% BB, 10.5% K, 204 ERA+

It’s challenging to evaluate Joss’ career given how early it took place. But a 1.16 ERA is a 1.16 ERA, and that mark not only led the league in 1908, but the 204 ERA+ also tells us that it stood 104 percent better than league average. So, this is about as dominant a season as there has been from a run-prevention standpoint. In 1908, Joss allowed 42 earned runs in 325 innings. In 2002, Charles Nagy surrendered 48 earned runs in 48 innings.

2. Corey Kluber, 2017

The numbers: 2.25 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 203 IP, 4.6% BB, 34.1% K, .193 AVG, .556 OPS, 202 ERA+

The innings total doesn’t compete with some of the hurlers of yore, but everything else does. Kluber didn’t walk anyone. He struck out more than one-third of the hitters bold enough to venture into the batter’s box. He led the league in complete games and shutouts, his way of saying “Take that!” to the pre-Great Depression pitchers who are rolling in their graves because he’s ranked this high. Kluber’s 2017 strikeout rate ranks third in Indians history; his WHIP ranks second, his K:BB rate ranks second, his ERA+ ranks second and his hit rate ranks eighth. Oh, and this season earned Kluber his second Cy Young Award, making him the only Cleveland pitcher to receive the honor more than once.

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1. Bob Feller, 1946

The numbers: 2.18 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 371 IP, 10.1% BB, 23.0% K, .208 AVG, .562 OPS, 151 ERA+

In his first full season following his four-year Navy stint, Feller established a franchise record for innings pitched. He posted the best ERA of his career and a ridiculous 10.0 fWAR. He recorded a league-leading 36 complete games, 10 shutouts and 348 strikeouts — 23 more than any other Cleveland pitcher has tallied in a season.

(Top photo of Corey Kluber: Ken Blaze / USA Today)