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300-win club

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In Major League Baseball, the 300 win club is a term applied to the group of pitchers who have won 300 or more games in their careers. There are currently 24 pitchers to have accomplished this feat. While the "300 club" is an informal group, becoming a member holds a special significance to pitchers and the baseball community in general. It is in fact among the highest career accomplishments a starting pitcher can achieve. This is evidenced by several members retiring soon after reaching the 300 win milestone (including two who retired with exactly 300 wins). In addition to being a badge of honor for pitchers, becoming a member virtually guarantees the pitcher a spot in the Hall of Fame (thus far, all eligible pitchers with 300 wins have been elected to the Hall), especially since the club is expected to gain few, if any, new members in the foreseeable future.[1][2][3]

History

The first player to win 300 career games was Pud Galvin in 1888. Six pitchers entered the club in the 19th century, with a seventh (Cy Young) joining in 1901. Early in the history of professional baseball, starting rotations of two men were commonplace, giving the best pitchers far more chances to earn wins than in today's game. Conversely, the rigor required for a two-man rotation meant that most pitching careers didn't last more than a decade or so (Cy Young being the major exception). In addition, the medical treatments then available were minimal; if a pitcher 'blew out his arm' then his career was over. Four more pitchers joined the club in the first quarter of the 20th century.

However, only three pitchers scored their 300th win between 1924 and 1982: Lefty Grove (1941), Warren Spahn (1961), and Early Wynn (1963). For Grove and Wynn it was the final win of their careers and each struggled in his last season to achieve it. This dearth of 300-game winners may be explained by the offensive explosion following the abolition of the spitball in 1921, changes in the ball itself, World War II military service (in the cases of Bob Feller and Red Ruffing), the growing importance of the home run in the game, and the lowering of the pitching mound following the 1968 season. As the home run became commonplace, the physical and mental demands on pitchers dramatically increased, leading to the use of a four-man starting rotation.[citation needed]

Then, in a mere eight years, between 1982 and 1990, the 300-win club gained six members — an increase of over 40%. This may be partly explained as a consequence of the era of free agency that began in the mid-1970s. Free agency led to unheard-of player salaries, which encouraged older pitchers to stay in the game longer than they might have in the past.[citation needed] Another part of the explanation is the increasing sophistication of training methods and sports medicine (such as the Tommy John surgery), which have allowed players to maintain a high competitive level for a longer time. Examples include Phil Niekro, who was still under 200 wins at his 40th birthday, went on to win a record 121 games after his 40th birthday and finished his career, at the age of 48, with 318 wins[4] and Randy Johnson, who has won more games in his 40s than he did in his 20s.[5] Many of the pitchers who reached 300 wins in this era, such as the aforementioned Niekro, Nolan Ryan, and Don Sutton, each had just a couple of 20+ win seasons and achieved the 300 mark by pitching well into their 40s.

Recent history

Changes in the game in the last decade of the 20th century have made the 300-game winner an endangered species again, perhaps more so than during the mid 20th century.[citation needed] The four-man starting rotation has given way to a five-man rotation, which gives starting pitchers still fewer chances to pick up wins. The physical and mental demands on starting pitchers have also increased yet again, thanks to the explosion in offense that has taken place since the 1990s.[citation needed] As a result, managers are much quicker to put in relief pitchers than in the past, particularly after the starting pitcher has thrown more than 100 pitches, even when the starting pitcher is winning the game. This increases the likelihood that a pitcher not get a win because of circumstances beyond his control. The 2006 season was the first time that no pitcher won 20 games in a non strike-shortened year. [6]

Members

  • Bold represents that the player has not yet retired.

Pitcher Wins Date of 300th Teams

Stats as of June 4, 2009.

[7] [8]

Closest active players

Pitcher Wins Teams Date of Birth
250 Chi (NL), Tex, StL, Bal, Bos, Sea, Phi 11/18/1962
220 NY (AL), Hou, NY (AL) 06/15/1972

Stats as of June 4, 2009.

See also

References

  1. ^ Kurkjian, Tim. "Glavine Could be Last to Reach 300 for Years". ESPN The Magazine. August 5, 2007.
  2. ^ Bierman, Fred. "Johnson Is Next, and Possibly Last, in Line to Win 300". New York Times. May 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Bishop, Greg. "Johnson Quietly Nears a Defining Moment". New York Times. June 2, 2009.
  4. ^ Merron, Jeff. "Phil Niekro Interview". ESPN.com. July 18, 2005.
  5. ^ McCauley, Janie. "Big Unit Approaches Big Number: Next Up, No. 300". Yahoo! Sports. June 1, 2009.
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ [3]
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