Warren Spahn Career Wins Record

Lore & Background

Spahn was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, to Edward and Mabel Spahn, the fifth of six children and the first of two sons. He was named after President Warren G. Harding and his father. He attended Buffalo Bisons baseball games with his father and initially wanted to be a first baseman. However, when Spahn began to attend South Park High School, the first baseman position was already taken. Reluctantly, he took up pitching and led his high school team to two city championships, going undefeated his last two seasons, and throwing a no-hitter his senior year.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the stadium was thick with humidity as the seventh inning stretched into extra frames. Warren Spahn, his cap pulled low against the glare, wiped sweat from his brow with a grimy hand. The crowd held its breath, knowing that only he could navigate this chaotic game. With a slow, deliberate windup, he released the pitch, watching it dance through the air before dropping into the catcher's mitt for the final out of another hard-fought victory.

Reader's Guide

Spahn's major league career began in 1942 with the Braves organization, and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. He finished his career in 1965 with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. With 363 wins, Spahn is the sixth-most winning pitcher in history, trailing only Cy Young (511), Walter Johnson (417), Grover Cleveland Alexander (373), Christy Mathewson (373), and Pud Galvin (364) on MLB's all-time list. He led the league in wins eight times (1949–50, 1953, 1957–1961, each season with 20+ wins) and won at least 20 games an additional five times (1947, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963). Spahn also threw two no-hitters, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40. He won three ERA titles (1947, 1953, and 1961), and four strikeout crowns (1949–1952). Spahn also appeared in 14 All-Star Games, the most of any pitcher in the 20th century. He won the NL Player of the Month Award in August 1960 (6–0, 2.30 ERA, 32 strike-outs) and August 1961 (6–0, 1.00 ERA, 26 SOs). Spahn acquired the nickname 'Hooks', not so much because of his pitching, but due to the prominent shape of his nose. He had once been hit in the face by a thrown ball that he was not expecting, and his broken nose settled into a hook-like shape. In Spahn's final season, during his stint with the Mets, Yogi Berra came out of retirement briefly and caught four games, one of them with Spahn pitching. Yogi later told reporters, 'I don't think we're the oldest battery, but we're certainly the ugliest.' Spahn was known for a very high leg kick in his delivery. Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose. As a left-hander, Spahn was able not only to watch any runner on first base, but also to avoid telegraphing whether he was delivering to the plate or to first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and throwing a good screwball. He led or shared the lead in the National League (NL) in wins in 1957–1961 (ages 36–40). Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting avera

Did You Know?

• Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher with 363 career wins.
• He was a 17-time All-Star who won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 record at age 42.
• Spahn won the 1957 Cy Young Award and was a three-time runner-up during the period when only one award was given for both leagues.
• He won 202 games in the 1950s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.
• At the time of his retirement in 1965, Spahn held the Major League record for career strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.