Best Cincinnati Reds Ever: Norm Charlton v. Randy Myers

First Round Matchup | No. 8 Norm Charlton v. No. 9 Randy Myers

Charlton:

One of the three anchors of the Cincinnati Reds’ 1990 Nasty Boys, Norm Charlton had a scorching fastball that he relentlessly threw — inside and out. Maybe the least effective of the trio, The Sheriff still spent his first five seasons with the Reds and had an ERA over 3.00 just once — his rookie season — and never higher than 3.96.

During the ‘Nasty Boy’ season, he split time as both a starter and a reliever. Making 16 starts and 40 relief appearances, Charlton pitched a career high 154 1/3 innings while striking out 117 batters. Of course, his wild attitude led to some wild pitches, too. He walked 70 batters and registered nine wild pitches during the season. His 2.74 ERA — pretty darn good — was actually the worst of the terrorizing trio.

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His best season came in 1992, his final year with Cincinnati, when he saved a career-best 26 games, sported a 2.99 ERA, struck out 90 batters in 81 1.3 innings and made his only All-Star appearance. He then bounced around with seven other teams — plus a one-year three-inning stint with the Reds in 2000 — pairing some success with inconsistency and ineffectiveness.

It’s safe to say Charlton’s days in a Reds uniform were the best of his career as he proved to be an integral part of the Reds’ most recent 1990 World Series title. Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer even proclaimed him as the “nastiest of the Nasty Boys.”

Myers:

The closer of the Nasty Boys, Myers spent just two of his 14 seasons with the Reds … but he made them count. In the memorable 1990 World Series run and win, Myers saved 31 games with 98 strikeouts across 86 2/3 innings. He was an All-Star, finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting and even garnered a few MVP votes. And his 2.08 ERA was among the Reds’ leaders.

During the 1990 playoff run, Myers was the MVP of the NLCS saving three games and striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings of work. He followed that up in the World Series with a save and three strikeouts in three innings.

Myers was not as dominating the following year in a Norm Charlton-like role. Instead, Rob Dibble became the closer as Myers made 12 starts and 46 relief appearances, Myers sports a 3.55 ERA across 132 innings. He struck out 108 batters and walked an absurd 80 batters. But he did manage to save six games while also registering a complete game.

Myers went on to save 347 games and make three additional All-Star teams, but his most memorable season may very well still be with the 1990 Reds as a cog in the Nasty Boys.

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A fun 8-9 matchup between a pair of teammates on the 1990 Nasty Boys, here we can determine who really was the best. Don’t forget to vote.

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