The best batteries in baseball history

There have been plenty of standout pitcher-catcher combinations, but these five batteries rise above the rest.

Our rankings were based on longevity, Hall of Fame credentials, and postseason success. Here are the top five batteries in baseball history.

5. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina

Including the playoffs, Wainwright and Molina have logged 278 starts together, the sixth-most in MLB history.

Their intertwined careers began in 2006, when Wainwright was closing games for the Cardinals as a rookie, en route to a World Series championship. “Waino” soon transitioned to a starting role, and by 2014, he had two 20-win campaigns (2010 and 2014) and led the National League in victories on two other occasions (2009 and 2013).

Molina blossomed into the best defensive catcher in the game by 2008, when he won his first of nine Gold Gloves, which puts him one behind the immortal Johnny Bench for the all-time lead among backstops.

4. Dwight Gooden and Gary Carter

Gooden and Carter were a dynamic battery for the Mets for a number of years, including the 1986 World Series campaign.

"Dr. K" and "The Kid" were 74-20 together from 1984 to 1989. Carter was the backstop when Gooden won the NL Cy Young in 1985, when he led the majors in wins (24), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268).

Carter didn’t have a bad year, either, with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs.

3. Bob Gibson and Tim McCarver

Wainwright and Molina surpassed Gibson and McCarver in games started together long ago (the latter pair has 197), but the older battery was better.

Gibson and McCarver’s pairing became a regular occurrence in 1963, when the latter was anointed the everyday starter behind the plate.

"Gibby," the World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967, won the NL Cy Young and MVP in 1968, on the strength of his 1.12 ERA. He made three starts in the World Series that year and went 2-1, with McCarver catching each time.

McCarver was an All-Star in 1966 and 1967, when he batted .274 and .295, respectively.

2. Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra

A Hall of Fame duo, Ford and Berra just missed the top spot.

Berra, one of the all-time great catchers, won his third and final MVP Award in 1955, when Ford led the American League in wins (18).

As Berra’s production began to wane, “The Chairman of the Board” hit his best stride. Ford led the majors in ERA in 1956 (2.47) and 1958 (2.01). In 1961, Berra’s final full year, in which he hit 22 homers, Ford won his only Cy Young Award, with a 25-4 record and a 3.21 ERA. He went on to win World Series MVP honors, after he shut out the Reds in two starts (14 innings).

Ford and Berra appeared in 11 World Series together and won six.

1. Lefty Grove and Mickey Cochrane

No battery dominated its era quite like Grove and Cochrane did from 1925 to 1933.

They made their major-league debuts for the Philadelphia Athletics simultaneously on April 14, 1925, and the pairing went on to work together in 224 games.

They hit their stride in 1928, when Grove led the AL in wins (24), while Cochrane won his first of two MVPs.

They were World Series champions in 1929 and 1930, and won the AL pennant in 1931. Grove led the majors in ERA in all three of those seasons, and won MVP in 1931, when he went 31-6 with a 2.06 ERA.

Both Grove and Cochrane are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. 

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