Walter Johnson

Most Career 1-0 Pitching Wins

Posted by on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 · 5 Comments 

Walter Johnson

“[Walter Johnson] was the only pitcher I ever faced who made the ball whistle. You could actually hear it as it crossed the plate. Sounded like a bullet from a rifle, sort of a zing, and it made you shaky in the knees.” — Ty Cobb.


Walter Johnson, “The Big Train”, has 38 career 1-0 wins. That is more than double his nearest competitor.

Number two on this list is Grover Cleveland Alexander with 17 1-0 wins. Alexander is the only pitcher with 4 pitching Triple Crown seasons.

Bert Blyleven is next with 15 career 1-0 victories. Christy Mathewson, “Big Six” as he was called, registered fourteen 1-0 wins during his career.
 
 

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  • Arnold Silveri

    As far as the Triple Crown listing, Alexander, Johnson and Koufax all have three Triple
    Crowns. What year did Alexander get his fourth Triple Crown?

    • http://fromdeeprightfield.com/ Paul Gillespie

      I believe you are talking about the dispute on the 1917 stats. Alexander won pitching’s Triple Crown in 1915, 1916 and 1920. Many believe he also won in 1917, even though Fred Anderson’s ERA is listed as lower. The dispute arises over whether Anderson’s stats accurately reflect number of starts, not to mention differing totals on Earned Runs. As you will note, some records (ESPN’s Baseball Encyclopedia-5th edition) shows 1917 as a Triple Crown year for Alexander–others do not. Currently, I prefer to show Alexander as a 1917 winner. At some point, the dispute will probably be resolved, and my views will reflect the reconciliation of this matter.

      Thanks again for your comments!

      • Arnold Silveri

        Dear Paul Gillespie, I received your reply regarding Alexander possibly winning the Triple Crown in 1917. I have checked five websites and all of them show that Fred Anderson led the league with a 1.44 ERA in 1917. The websites are: Baseball Reference .com; SABR; Baseball America; Baseball Library, and Fan Graphs. In addition, the Baseball Encyclopedia (Ninth Edition) shows that Fred Anderson won the ERA title with a 1.44 ERA. Therefore, I must conclude that Johnson, Alexander and Koufax won three Triple Crowns each. From what I read, earned run averages were not accurately kept during the dead-ball era and beyond. When they began to accurately keep ERA records and other stats is unclear. In any event, it is what it is. Or, shall I say, it was what it was–96
        years ago. Thanks, Best Regards, Arnold Silveri.

      • Arnold Silveri

        Dear Mr. Gillespie, I’m writing about the number of games started by Fred Anderson in 1917. As far as I know, in order to qualify for the ERA title, it’s the amount of innings pitched–not how many games were started–that determines whether the pitcher is eligible. In any event, that ends it for me.
        Best Regards, Arnold Silveri

        On 3/27/13, Arnold Silveri

        • http://fromdeeprightfield.com/ Paul Gillespie

          Yes, Arnold, the dispute is based on several “anomalies” regarding stats in 1917, not the least of which involves Anderson’s number of Earned Runs, innings pitched, and Games Started. Initially, early redactions of ERA figurings tended to exclude some pitchers who didn’t “qualify” as a “starter”. I happily concede that the preponderance of evidence will probably reconcile the fact that Alexander the Great was not the pitching Triple Crown Winner in 1917. Thanks again for your interest!