David Cone
The perfect game on Yogi Berra Day wasn't even Cone's peak — that came a decade earlier when he dominated the NL with a devastating slider that helped him go 20-3 for the Mets in 1988. His 2.22 ERA that season represented a 168 ERA+, making him 68 percent better than league average and earning him the Cy Young Award.
Cone's career tells the story of sustained excellence across two decades and five different teams. He struck out 2,668 batters while maintaining a 121 ERA+ over 18 seasons, proving equally effective as a young fireballer and crafty veteran. The five All-Star selections barely scratch the surface of his consistency.
What separated Cone was his ability to reinvent himself. When his fastball velocity declined, he became a master of changing speeds and eye levels, using one of baseball's best sliders as his calling card. His 194 wins came the hard way, through intelligence and adaptation rather than overpowering stuff alone.
Career · Hitting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | KC | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1987 | NYM | 21 | 31 | 0 | 0 | .065 | .191 | 26 |
| 1988 | NYM | 35 | 80 | 0 | 2 | .150 | .368 | 53 |
| 1989 | NYM | 34 | 77 | 0 | 4 | .234 | .513 | 74 |
| 1990 | NYM | 32 | 70 | 0 | 5 | .200 | .468 | 66 |
| 1991 | NYM | 34 | 72 | 0 | 5 | .125 | .304 | 43 |
| 1992 | NYM | 35 | 65 | 0 | 4 | .092 | .240 | 34 |
| 1993 | KC | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1994 | KC | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1995 | TOR | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1996 | NYY | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1997 | NYY | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1998 | NYY | 31 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYY | 31 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .333 | 1.000 | 128 |
| 2000 | NYY | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .667 | 85 |
| 2001 | BOS | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2003 | NYM | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 | 66 |
| Career | 451 | 412 | 0 | 22 | .155 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | KC | 11 | 22.7 | 0 | 0 | 5.56 | 71 | 21 | 1.853 |
| 1987 | NYM | 21 | 99.3 | 5 | 6 | 3.71 | 115 | 68 | 1.319 |
| 1988 | NYM | 35 | 231.3 | 20 | 3 | 2.22 | 168 | 213 | 1.115 |
| 1989 | NYM | 34 | 219.7 | 14 | 8 | 3.52 | 105 | 190 | 1.170 |
| 1990 | NYM | 31 | 211.7 | 14 | 10 | 3.23 | 119 | 233 | 1.143 |
| 1991 | NYM | 34 | 232.7 | 14 | 14 | 3.29 | 119 | 241 | 1.191 |
| 1992 | NYM | 35 | 249.7 | 17 | 10 | 2.81 | 133 | 261 | 1.250 |
| 1993 | KC | 34 | 254.0 | 11 | 14 | 3.33 | 126 | 191 | 1.256 |
| 1994 | KC | 23 | 171.7 | 16 | 5 | 2.94 | 153 | 132 | 1.072 |
| 1995 | TOR | 30 | 229.3 | 18 | 8 | 3.57 | 125 | 191 | 1.234 |
| 1996 | NYY | 11 | 72.0 | 7 | 2 | 2.88 | 160 | 71 | 1.167 |
| 1997 | NYY | 29 | 195.0 | 12 | 6 | 2.82 | 155 | 222 | 1.236 |
| 1998 | NYY | 31 | 207.7 | 20 | 7 | 3.55 | 125 | 209 | 1.180 |
| 1999 | NYY | 31 | 193.3 | 12 | 9 | 3.44 | 137 | 177 | 1.314 |
| 2000 | NYY | 30 | 155.0 | 4 | 14 | 6.91 | 69 | 120 | 1.768 |
| 2001 | BOS | 25 | 135.7 | 9 | 7 | 4.31 | 102 | 115 | 1.511 |
| 2003 | NYM | 5 | 18.0 | 1 | 3 | 6.50 | 68 | 13 | 1.833 |
| Career | 450 | 2898.8 | 194 | 126 | — | — | 2668 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.