Games Started All Time Leaders by Baseball Almanac

Career Leaders for Games Started

It's impossible to lead at any statistic if you are not given the opportunity to pitch. The following pitchers have been given those chances and they have proven their effectiveness to their managers. A fair chance at winning is what each of these all time games started leaders give the team when they step on the rubber at the beginning of every game.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time career leaders in Major League games started. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.

"Four starting pitchers and one relief man ought to be enough." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Cy Young (#1 Ranked Games Started Leader)

Games Started All Time Leaders 'Top 100'
Name	Games	Rank
Cy Young	815	1
Nolan Ryan	773	2
Don Sutton	756	3
Greg Maddux	740	4
Phil Niekro	716	5
Steve Carlton	709	6
Roger Clemens	707	7
Tommy John	700	8
Gaylord Perry	690	9
Bert Blyleven	685	10
Tom Glavine	682	11
Pud Galvin	681	12
Walter Johnson	666	13
Warren Spahn	665	14
Tom Seaver	647	15
Jim Kaat	625	16
Frank Tanana	616	17
Early Wynn	612	18
Robin Roberts	609	19
Grover Alexander	599	20
Fergie Jenkins	594	21
Tim Keefe	594
Randy Johnson	586	23
Jamie Moyer	584	24
Dennis Martinez	562	25
Kid Nichols	561	26
Eppa Rixey	552	27
Christy Mathewson	551	28
Mickey Welch	549	29
Jerry Reuss	547	30
Mike Mussina	536	31
Red Ruffing	536
Eddie Plank	529	33
Rick Reuschel	529
Jerry Koosman	527	35
Jack Morris	527
Jim Palmer	521	37
Jim Bunning	519	38
John Clarkson	518	39
Jack Powell	516	40
Tony Mullane	504	41
Old Hoss Radbourn	503	42
Gus Weyhing	503
Joe Niekro	500	44
Bob Friend	497	45
Burleigh Grimes	497
Mickey Lolich	496	47
David Wells	489	48
Claude Osteen	488	49
Sam Jones	487	50
Jim McCormick	485	51
Bob Feller	484	52
Ted Lyons	484
Luis Tiant	484
Red Faber	483	55
Bobo Newsom	483
Bob Gibson	482	57
Kevin Brown	476	58
Catfish Hunter	476
Kenny Rogers	474	60
Vida Blue	473	61
Earl Whitehill	473
Vic Willis	471	63
Chuck Finley	467	64
Orel Hershiser	466	65
John Smoltz	466
Don Drysdale	465	67
Milt Pappas	465
Doyle Alexander	464	69
Bob Welch	462	70
Curt Simmons	461	71
Mike Torrez	458	72
Lefty Grove	457	73
Juan Marichal	457
Rick Wise	455	75
Jim Perry	447	76
Paul Derringer	445	77
Jack Quinn	444	78
Charlie Hough	440	79
Mike Moore	440
Whitey Ford	438	81
Curt Schilling	436	82
Mel Harder	433	83
Billy Pierce	432	84
Carl Hubbell	431	85
Larry Jackson	429	86
Mark Langston	428	87
George Mullin	428
Amos Rusie	427	89
Freddie Fitzsimmons	426	90
Andy Pettitte	426
Fernando Valenzuela	424	92
John Burkett	423	93
Waite Hoyt	423
Bob Forsch	422	95
Herb Pennock	420	96
Frank Viola	420
David Cone	419	98
Steve Trachsel	417	99
Bob Knepper	413	100
Name	Games	Rank
Current Through 2008 Season

Changes in 2005 include; Roger Clemens climbing from thirteenth to tenth, Greg Maddux climbing from eighteenth to fourteenth, Tom Glavine climbing from twenty-second to nineteenth, Randy Johnson climbing from fifty-fourth to thirty-eighth, Jaime Moyer climbing from seventy-first to forty-eighth, Kevin Brown climbing from sixty-fourth to fifty-sixth, and David Wells & Mike Mussina breaking into the top eighty career leaders for games started.

Did you know that Tom Seaver has started more Opening Day games than any other pitcher in Major League history? The Hall of Fame hurler finished with sixteen (16) Opening Day starts.

An odd pair: Will White, who is not in the top one-hundred, and Pud Galvin, who is ranked ninth all-time, both hold the Major League record for games started during a single season.

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