20 Wins Club : 1901 - 1925

Twenty wins in a single season is a truly a magical plateau. Jim Bouton wrote in his classic book Ball Four, "If you had a pill that would guarantee a pitcher twenty wins, but might take five years off his life, he'd take it."

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the pitchers from 1901 through 1925 who are members of the American League 20 Wins Club. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.

"Listen mister, no man alive can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood!" - Walter Johnson (twelve time American League twenty-plus game winner)
Twenty Wins Club
'1901 to 1925'

In Chronological Order

Name Team Wins Losses Year Top 25

Cy Young (10)

Boston

33 10 1901

Top 25

Joe McGinnity (3)

Baltimore

26 21

Clark Griffith (7)

Chicago

24 7

Roscoe Miller (1)

Detroit

23 13

Chick Fraser (2)

Philadelphia

20 15

Cy Young (11)

Boston

32 11 1902

Top 25

Rube Waddell (1)

Philadelphia

23 7

Red Donahue (3)

St. Louis

22 11

Jack Powell (3)

St. Louis

22 17

Bill Dinneen (2)

Boston

21 21

* Joe McGinnity (4)

Baltimore (13) & New York (N.L. 8)

21 18

Roy Patterson (1)

Chicago

20 12

Eddie Plank (1)

Philadelphia

20 15

Cy Young (12)

Boston

28 9 1903

Top 25

Eddie Plank (2)

Philadelphia

23 16

Jack Chesbro (3)

New York

21 15

Bill Dinneen (3)

Boston

21 13

Willie Sudhoff (1)

St. Louis

21 15

Rube Waddell (2)

Philadelphia

21 16

Tom Hughes (1)

Boston

20 7

Jack Chesbro (4)

New York

41 13 1904

Top 25

Eddie Plank (3)

Philadelphia

26 17

Cy Young (13)

Boston

26 16

Rube Waddell (3)

Philadelphia

25 19

Bill Bernhard (1)

Cleveland

23 13

Bill Dinneen (4)

Boston

23 14

Jack Powell (4)

New York

23 19

Frank Owen (1)

Chicago

21 15

Jesse Tannehill (5)

Boston

21 11

Rube Waddell (4)

Philadelphia

27 11 1905

Top 25

Eddie Plank (4)

Philadelphia

25 12

Nick Altrock (1)

Chicago

24 12

Ed Killian (1)

Detroit

23 13

Jesse Tannehill (6)

Boston

22 9

George Mullin (1)

Detroit

21 20

Frank Owen (2)

Chicago

21 13

Addie Joss (1)

Cleveland

20 11

Al Orth (2)

New York

27 17 1906

Top 25

Jack Chesbro (5)

New York

24 16

Frank Owen (3)

Chicago

22 13

Bob Rhoads (1)

Cleveland

22 10

Addie Joss (2)

Cleveland

21 9

George Mullin (2)

Detroit

21 18

Nick Altrock (2)

Chicago

20 13

Otto Hess (1)

Cleveland

20 17

Addie Joss (3)

Cleveland

27 10 1907

Top 25

Doc White (1)

Chicago

27 13

Bill Donovan (2)

Detroit

25 4

Ed Killian (2)

Detroit

25 13

Eddie Plank (5)

Philadelphia

24 16

Ed Walsh (1)

Chicago

24 18

Frank Smith (1)

Chicago

22 11

Cy Young (14)

Boston

22 15

Jimmy Dygert (1)

Philadelphia

20 9

George Mullin (3)

Detroit

20 20

Ed Walsh (2)

Chicago

40 15 1908

Top 25

Addie Joss (4)

Cleveland

24 11

Ed Summers (1)

Detroit

24 12

Cy Young (15)

Boston

21 11

George Mullin (4)

Detroit

29 8 1909

Top 25

Frank Smith (2)

Chicago

25 17

Ed Willett (1)

Detroit

22 9

Jack Coombs (1)

Philadelphia

31 9 1910

Top 25

Russ Ford (1)

New York

26 6

Walter Johnson (1)

Washington

25 17

Chief Bender (1)

Philadelphia

23 5

George Mullin (5)

Detroit

21 12

Jack Coombs (2)

Philadelphia

28 12 1911

Top 25

Ed Walsh (3)

Chicago

28 18

Walter Johnson (2)

Washington

25 13

Vean Gregg (1)

Cleveland

23 7

Joe Wood (1)

Boston

23 17

Russ Ford (2)

New York

22 11

Eddie Plank (6)

Philadelphia

22 8

Joe Wood (2)

Boston

34 5 1912

Top 25

Walter Johnson (3)

Washington

32 12

Ed Walsh (4)

Chicago

27 17

Eddie Plank (7)

Philadelphia

26 6

Bob Groom (1)

Washington

24 13

Jack Coombs (3)

Philadelphia

21 10

Hugh Bedient (1)

Boston

20 9

Vean Gregg (2)

Cleveland

20 13

Buck O'Brien (1)

Boston

20 13

Walter Johnson (4)

Washington

36 7 1913

Top 25

Cy Falkenberg (1)

Cleveland

23 10

Reb Russell (1)

Chicago

22 16

Chief Bender (2)

Philadelphia

21 10

Vean Gregg (3)

Cleveland

20 13

Jim Scott (1)

Chicago

20 20

Walter Johnson (5)

Washington

28 18 1914

Top 25

Harry Coveleski (1)

Detroit

22 12

Ray Collins (1)

Boston

20 13

Walter Johnson (6)

Washington

27 13 1915

Top 25

Hooks Dauss (1)

Detroit

24 13

Red Faber (1)

Chicago

24 14

Jim Scott (2)

Chicago

24 11

Harry Coveleski (2)

Detroit

22 13

Walter Johnson (7)

Washington

25 20 1916

Top 25

Bob Shawkey (1)

New York

24 14

Babe Ruth (1)

Boston

23 12

Harry Coveleski (3)

Detroit

21 11

Eddie Cicotte (1)

Chicago

28 12 1917

Top 25

Babe Ruth (2)

Boston

24 13

Jim Bagby (1)

Cleveland

23 13

Walter Johnson (8)

Washington

23 16

Carl Mays (1)

Boston

22 9

Walter Johnson (9)

Washington

23 13 1918

Top 25

Stan Coveleski (1)

Cleveland

22 13

Carl Mays (2)

Boston

21 13

Scott Perry (1)

Philadelphia

20 19

Eddie Cicotte (2)

Chicago

29 7 1919

Top 25

Stan Coveleski (2)

Cleveland

23 12

Lefty Williams (1)

Chicago

23 11

Hooks Dauss (2)

Detroit

21 9

Allen Sothoron (1)

St. Louis

21 11

Walter Johnson (10)

Washington

20 14

Bob Shawkey (2)

New York

20 13

Jim Bagby (2)

Cleveland

31 12 1920

Top 25

Carl Mays (3)

New York

26 11

Stan Coveleski (3)

Cleveland

24 14

Red Faber (2)

Chicago

23 13

Lefty Williams (2)

Chicago

22 14

Eddie Cicotte (3)

Chicago

21 10

Dickie Kerr (1)

Chicago

21 9

Ray Caldwell (1)

Cleveland

20 10

Bob Shawkey (3)

New York

20 13

Urban Shocker (1)

St. Louis

20 10

Carl Mays (4)

New York

27 9 1921

Top 25

Urban Shocker (2)

St. Louis

27 12

Red Faber (3)

Chicago

25 15

Stan Coveleski (4)

Cleveland

23 13

Sam Jones (1)

Boston

23 16

Eddie Rommel (1)

Philadelphia

27 13 1922

Top 25

Joe Bush (1)

New York

26 7

Urban Shocker (3)

St. Louis

24 17

George Uhle (1)

Cleveland

22 16

Red Faber (4)

Chicago

21 17

Bob Shawkey (4)

New York

20 12

George Uhle (2)

Cleveland

26 16 1923

Top 25

Hooks Dauss (3)

Detroit

21 13

Sam Jones (2)

New York

21 8

Urban Shocker (4)

St. Louis

20 12

Howard Ehmke (1)

Boston

20 17

Walter Johnson (11)

Washington

23 7 1924

Top 25

Herb Pennock (1)

New York

21 9

Joe Shaute (1)

Cleveland

20 17

Sloppy Thurston (1)

Chicago

20 14

Ted Lyons (1)

Chicago

21 11 1925

Top 25

Eddie Rommel (2)

Philadelphia

21 10

Stan Coveleski (5)

Washington

20 5

Walter Johnson (12)

Washington

20 7
Name Team Wins Losses Year Top 25

Twenty Wins Club



Walter Johnson holds the American League record for most twenty (20) win seasons by a right-handed pitcher with twelve (12).

Did you know that Lefty Grove holds the American League record for most twenty (20) win seasons by a left-handed pitcher with eight (8)?

In 1911, Vean Gregg entered the big leagues and won twenty-three (23) games. He won more than twenty (20) the next two (2) consecutive seasons setting the American League record for consecutive twenty (20) win seasons from the start of a career with three.