If there is one franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB) where determining the greatest pitcher in team history is especially difficult, it is the Boston Red Sox. Not only because of the quality and numbers put up by some of the most accomplished pitchers to wear the uniform, but also because of how closely their achievements stack up against one another, particularly when taking their respective eras into account.

The Boston Red Sox are a winning franchise with an all-time record of 10,118-9,399 (.518) and nine World Series championships. Since their inception in 1901, dozens of accomplished pitchers have taken the mound for Boston. But three names stand above the rest: Cy Young, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martínez. Each reached his peak in a different era, yet all three produced extraordinary results while wearing the Red Sox uniform. That makes choosing just one as the franchise's greatest pitcher an incredibly difficult task.

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Before taking a closer look at what these three giants accomplished in Boston, it is also worth acknowledging several other pitchers who left memorable marks on the franchise. Among them are Lefty Grove, who went 105-62 with a 3.34 ERA; Luis Tiant, who finished 122-81 with a 3.36 ERA; and Tim Wakefield, who posted a 186-168 record with a 4.43 ERA.

It is also important to acknowledge Smoky Joe Wood, a superstar from the Negro Leagues whose historical record is now recognized as part of MLB. However, for the purposes of this ranking, I will leave him out of the Top 3 in an effort to make the comparison as balanced as possible across eras and leagues.

Third place goes to the legendary Cy Young

Denton “Cy” Young remains MLB's all-time leader in career wins with 511. With the Boston Red Sox, however, he went 192-112 from 1901 through 1908.

Young posted a remarkable 2.00 ERA in 327 appearances (297 starts) for Boston. Across 2,727 1/3 innings, he allowed 2,347 hits while striking out 1,341 batters. His 0.960 WHIP was outstanding, and he completed 275 games while recording 28 shutouts. His 64.5 WAR ranks second among Red Sox pitchers.

With Boston, Cy Young won the first modern World Series in 1903, when the Red Sox defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3. Young went 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA across four appearances in the Fall Classic.

Two years earlier, in 1901, he captured the American League pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (33), ERA (1.62) and strikeouts (158). He also led the Junior Circuit in wins for three consecutive seasons, from 1901 through 1903.

On May 5, 1904, Young added another historic accomplishment, throwing a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics. Boston won the American League pennant in both 1903 and 1904 during Young's tenure, although there was no World Series played in 1904.

Roger Clemens falls short of No. 1 by the slimmest of margins

During his years with the Boston Red Sox from 1984 through 1996, “Rocket” Roger Clemens went 192-111 with a 3.06 ERA over 2,766 innings. He allowed 2,359 hits, struck out 2,590 batters, completed 100 games and recorded 38 shutouts.

Clemens also owns the highest career WAR among pitchers in Red Sox history, at 80.7. Three of the seven Cy Young Awards he won during his career came while wearing Boston's uniform. He was also named the 1986 American League MVP, made five All-Star teams and helped the Red Sox win an American League championship.

Clemens' tenure in Boston was nothing short of legendary. On April 29, 1986, he struck out 20 batters in a game against the Seattle Mariners, setting what was then the record for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game.

He led the American League in wins and strikeouts twice and topped the league in ERA on four occasions. When considering the greatest pitcher in Red Sox history, I came extremely close to choosing Clemens.

In fact, if Clemens is your choice, there is nothing to argue. He has every right to be considered the franchise's greatest pitcher.