Baseball's 300-game winners Of the 8,500 players who have pitched in the majors only 21 have won 300 games. Warren Spahn, considered by many the greatest left-handed pitcher in major league history, won his 300th game in 1961 at the age of 40. Spahn's 363 wins rank fifth on the all-time list behind Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Christy Mathewson. Below are baseball's 300-game winners:
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| In an era dominated by hitters, William Roger Clemens is the only 300-game winner who debuted after 1970. A six-time 20-game winner, Clemens won six ERA titles and six Cy Young Awards (in three different decades) and is the third pitcher with 4,000 career strikeouts. "The Rocket" struck out more than 200 batters in a season 11 times and twice fanned 20 in a game.
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| With a fastball that approached 100 mph and a work ethic like no other, Lynn Nolan Ryan dominated hitters for 27 seasons on his way to 5,714 strikeouts -- 1,578 more than the next-best total. "The Ryan Express" led the league in strikeouts 11 times and topped 300 strikeouts six times, including a record 383 in 1973. Among Ryan's 324 wins are seven no-hitters and 12 one-hitters.
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| A model of consistency and durability, Donald Howard Sutton won 324 games and struck out 3,574 batters in 23 seasons. Not once did he miss a turn in the rotation for the Dodgers, Astros, Brewers, Athletics and Angels. A four-time All-Star, Sutton reached double figures in wins in 21 of his 23 seasons and struck out over 100 batters in each of his first 21 campaigns.
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| During a 24-year career, Philip Henry Niekro relied on a fluttering knuckleball to frustrate hitters. His lifetime record of 318-274 produced a winning percentage significantly higher than those teams for which he pitched. "Knucksie" twice led the NL in wins and propelled Atlanta to the NL West title in 1969, when he recorded 23 victories, 21 complete games and a 2.57 ERA. |
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| George Thomas Seaver was a dominating power pitcher who helped transform the New York Mets from lovable losers into formidable foes. "Tom Terrific" won 311 games with a 2.86 ERA over 20 seasons and fanned 3,640 batters, including 200 or more a record 10 times. Seaver was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1967 and a three-time Cy Young Award winner. |
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| The second-winningest left-hander of all time, Steven Norman Carlton was an extremely focused competitor. He won 329 games -- second only to Warren Spahn among lefties -- and his 4,136 strikeouts are exceeded only by Ryan's 5,714. "Lefty" once notched 19 strikeouts in a game, compiled six 20-win seasons and was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards.
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| Over 22 seasons, Gaylord Jackson Perry frustrated batters and umpires with his (allegedly) illegal pitches. One of seven pitchers with 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, Perry was a five-time 20-game winner. Perry threw a no-hitter in 1968 and won Cy Young Awards in 1972 with Cleveland and in 1978 with San Diego -- the first pitcher to win the award in both leagues. |
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| A fierce competitor who once said he would knock down his grandmother if she dug in against him, Early Wynn was a five-time 20-game winner during his 23-year career with the Senators, Indians and White Sox. "Gus" won the American League Cy Young Award in 1959 and notched his 300th win four years later at the age of 43. |
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| Despite three years in the military during his early 20s, Warren Edward Spahn won more games than any other left-hander in major league history. A 13-time 20-game winner, Spahn completed more than half his starts (382 of 665) and recorded 68 shutouts. He still holds the NL record for innings pitched over his 21-year career, during which he hurled two no-hitters. |
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| Considered the greatest left-handed pitcher in American League history, Robert Moses Grove won nine ERA titles and posted eight 20-win seasons. With a temperament as mean as his fastball, "Lefty" led the AL in strikeouts in seven consecutive seasons from 1925-31. Grove's .680 career winning percentage is tops among 300-game winners. |
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| Grover Cleveland Alexander overcame epilepsy and alcoholism to become one of baseball's greatest pitchers. "Ol' Pete" won 30 or more games each season from 1915-17 and led the league in ERA five times. Alexander is the all-time National League leader in wins and shutouts (90), and his four one-hitters in 1915 and 16 shutouts in 1916 are still major league highs.
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| Considered the greatest right-hander in baseball history, Walter Perry Johnson was a 10-time 20-game winner despite playing mostly for losing teams (he lost 27 games 1-0). With an overpowering fastball, "The Big Train" led the American League in strikeouts 12 times and won three pitching triple crowns. His 110 career shutouts are 20 more than the second-best total. |
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| A finesse pitcher with a sweeping sidearm curveball, Edward Stewart Plank won at least 20 games in eight of his 17 seasons, leading the Philadelphia Athletics to six American League pennants. Despite not playing baseball until college, "Gettysburg Eddie" remains the all-time leader in complete games and shutouts among left-handers. |
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| As charismatic and popular as any player in the early 1900s, Christopher Mathewson won at least 22 games for 12 straight seasons. "Matty" baffled hitters with his "fadeaway pitch" -- known today as a screwball. Throughout his career, he walked 1.6 batters per 9 innings. In 11 World Series games, Mathewson pitched 10 complete games, including four shutouts. |
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| Denton True Young, baseball's biggest winner -- and loser -- logged a record 7,356 innings during his 22-year career. Among his 511 wins were 76 shutouts and three no-hitters. Nicknamed "Cy" because of his cyclone-like fastball, Young won 20 games 16 times (five 30-win seasons). He averaged 27 wins and a 3.05 ERA in the 1890s; 27 wins and a 2.12 ERA in the 1900s. |
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| Charles Augustus Nichols won at least 25 games in each of his first nine seasons, leading the Boston Beaneaters to five National League championships. With a smooth delivery, "Kid" won 30 games a record seven times between 1891 and 1898. Nichols completed 531 of the 561 games he started and won his 300th game nine months and 23 days after his 30th birthday. |
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| John Gibson Clarkson averaged 41 wins a season from 1885-1889 and won 30 or more games six times. Clarkson won 53 games in 1885 and twice pitched more than 600 innings in a season. Clarkson, who retired as the winningest pitcher in National League history, was tabbed "the $10,000 Wonder" in 1887, that being his sale price to the Boston Beaneaters. |
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| Considered the premier pitcher of the 19th century, Charles Gardner Radbourn finished 484 of the 497 games he started. Though his career spanned just 11 seasons, "Old Hoss" won 20 or more games nine times. Radbourn pitched the last 27 games of the 1884 season for the Providence Grays and won 26. He finished the season 60-12 in 73 starts. |
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| Michael Francis Welch was a four-time 30-game winner who once struck out the first nine batters he faced, a record that remains untouched. Depending heavily on an assortment of off-speed pitches, "Smiling Mickey" completed his first 105 starts. Welch's best season occurred in 1885, when he won 17 games in a row while compiling a 44-11 record. |
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| With a submarine delivery, Timothy John Keefe won 341 games in 14 seasons. "Sir Timothy" ran off a record 19 consecutive victories during the 1888 season, twice won over 40 games, and three times pitched his club to the pennant. One of the first pitchers to use a change-of-pace delivery, Keefe retired in 1893 as the career leader in strikeouts (2,533). |
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| Nicknamed "Pud" because he turned opposing batters into pudding, James Francis Galvin was baseball's first 300-game winner. In 14 seasons, Galvin pitched more innings (5,959) and completed more games (641) than anyone except Cy Young. Short and stocky, he was a tireless worker who won 20 games 10 times and twice topped the 40-win mark. |
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