MLB Playoffs: The Biggest Heroes of the Last 20 Years

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling

The duo of Johnson and Schilling shared the honor of being named co-MVP’s of the 2001 World Series. In addition to being the only two players to share the award over the past 30-plus seasons, the pairing was as dominant on the mound as anything we have seen in recent memory.

Both Johnson and Schilling appeared in three games (Schilling made three starts, Johnson made two starts and a relief appearance) during the course of the seven-game marathon win over the Yankees, and the numbers were borderline insane. Johnson had the more dominant ERA (1.04 over 17.1 innings), but Schilling threw more inning (21.1) while still putting together an obscenely low ERA mark of 1.69 with both pitchers combining for a WHIP that was below 0.70.

It wasn’t only the World Series that vaulted Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to this historic list, as Johnson threw 41.1 innings in the 2001 playoffs with a 1.51 ERA while Schilling countered with 48.1 innings with a 1.12 (!) ERA over the same time span. Frankly, I could go on all day with just how incredible both men were during the 2001 playoffs, and there is no debate here about their level of greatness and importance in the playoffs.