Single Season Leaders for Wins

The goal every pitcher has when he places his pitching foot on the rubber and lets the ball loose. Never an easy item to accomplish on the major league level and always a challenge to maintain a a good winning percentage. Wins never come or came easy and these are the pitchers that won the most in a single season of games.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League wins. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"(Bob) Feller isn't quite as fast as I was." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Walter Johnson (Tied at #47 Ranked Single Season Wins Leader)
Wins
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Old Hoss Radbourn 59 1884 Providence Grays NL 1
John Clarkson 53 1885 Chicago White Stockings NL 2
Guy Hecker 52 1884 Louisville Colonels AA 3
John Clarkson 49 1889 Boston Beaneaters NL 4
Charlie Buffinton 48 1884 Boston Beaneaters NL 5
Old Hoss Radbourn 48 1883 Providence Grays NL  
Al Spalding 47 1876 Chicago White Stockings NL 7
John Ward 47 1879 Providence Grays NL  
Pud Galvin 46 1883 Buffalo Bisons NL 9
Pud Galvin 46 1884 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Matt Kilroy 46 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA  
George Bradley 45 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings NL 12
Silver King 45 1888 St. Louis Browns AA  
Jim McCormick 45 1880 Cleveland Blues NL  
Bill Hutchison 44 1891 Chicago Colts NL 15
Mickey Welch 44 1885 New York Giants NL  
Tommy Bond 43 1879 Boston Red Caps NL 17
Larry Corcoran 43 1880 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Billy Taylor 43 1884 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
St. Louis Maroons UA
Will White 43 1879 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Will White 43 1883 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Lady Baldwin 42 1886 Detroit Wolverines NL 22
Bill Hutchison 42 1890 Chicago Colts NL  
Tim Keefe 42 1886 New York Giants NL  
Jack Chesbro 41 1904 New York Highlanders AL 25
Dave Foutz 41 1886 St. Louis Browns AA  
Tim Keefe 41 1883 New York Metropolitans AA  
Ed Morris 41 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Charlie Sweeney 41 1884 Providence Grays NL  
St. Louis Maroons UA
Tommy Bond 40 1877 Boston Red Caps NL 30
Tommy Bond 40 1878 Boston Red Caps NL  
Bob Caruthers 40 1885 St. Louis Browns AA  
Bob Caruthers 40 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms AA  
Jim McCormick 40 1884 Cleveland Blues NL  
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds UA
Bill Sweeney 40 1884 Baltimore Monumentals UA  
Ed Walsh 40 1908 Chicago White Sox AL  
Will White 40 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Ed Morris 39 1885 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA 38
John Ward 39 1880 Providence Grays NL  
Mickey Welch 39 1884 New York Gothams NL  
John Clarkson 38 1887 Chicago White Stockings NL 41
Kid Gleason 38 1890 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Toad Ramsey 38 1886 Louisville Colonels AA  
Pud Galvin 37 1879 Buffalo Bisons NL 44
Tim Keefe 37 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Jack Lynch 37 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Christy Mathewson 37 1908 New York Giants NL  
Toad Ramsey 37 1887 Louisville Colonels AA  
Jim Whitney 37 1883 Boston Beaneaters NL  
John Clarkson 36 1886 Chicago White Stockings NL 50
Bill Hutchison 36 1892 Chicago Colts NL  
Walter Johnson 36 1913 Washington Senators AL  
Frank Killen 36 1893 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Jim McCormick 36 1882 Cleveland Blues NL  
Sadie McMahon 36 1890 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Philadelphia Athletics AA
Tony Mullane 36 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings AA  
Amos Rusie 36 1894 New York Giants NL  
Cy Young 36 1892 Cleveland Spiders NL  
Larry Corcoran 35 1884 Chicago White Stockings NL 59
Jim Devlin 35 1877 Louisville Grays NL  
Tim Keefe 35 1887 New York Giants NL  
Tim Keefe 35 1888 New York Giants NL  
Silver King 35 1889 St. Louis Browns AA  
Joe McGinnity 35 1904 New York Giants NL  
Sadie McMahon 35 1891 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Tony Mullane 35 1883 St. Louis Browns AA  
Kid Nichols 35 1892 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Ed Seward 35 1888 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Jack Stivetts 35 1892 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Cy Young 35 1895 Cleveland Spiders NL  
Mark Baldwin 34 1890 Chicago Pirates PL 71
Larry Corcoran 34 1883 Chicago White Stockings NL  
George Haddock 34 1891 Boston Red Stockings AA  
Ed Morris 34 1884 Columbus Colts AA  
Kid Nichols 34 1893 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Elmer Smith 34 1887 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Scott Stratton 34 1890 Louisville Colonels AA  
Mickey Welch 34 1880 Troy Trojans NL  
Will White 34 1884 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Joe Wood 34 1912 Boston Red Sox AL  
Cy Young 34 1893 Cleveland Spiders NL  
Grover Alexander 33 1916 Philadelphia Phillies NL 82
John Clarkson 33 1891 Boston Beaneaters NL  
John Clarkson 33 1888 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Dave Foutz 33 1885 St. Louis Browns AA  
Walter Johnson 33 1912 Washington Senators AL  
Christy Mathewson 33 1904 New York Giants NL  
Jouett Meekin 33 1894 New York Giants NL  
Tony Mullane 33 1886 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Henry Porter 33 1885 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 33 1882 Providence Grays NL  
Amos Rusie 33 1891 New York Giants NL  
Amos Rusie 33 1893 New York Giants NL  
Jack Stivetts 33 1891 St. Louis Browns AA  
Mickey Welch 33 1886 New York Giants NL  
Cy Young 33 1901 Boston Americans AL  
Elton Chamberlain 32 1889 St. Louis Browns AA 97
Jesse Duryea 32 1889 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Bob Emslie 32 1884 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Tim Keefe 32 1885 New York Giants NL 100
Silver King 32 1887 St. Louis Browns AA  
Kid Nichols 32 1894 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Lee Richmond 32 1880 Worcester Ruby Legs NL  
Gus Weyhing 32 1892 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Cy Young 32 1902 Boston Americans AL  
Current Through 2008 Season


Did you know that Denny McLain, who won thirty-one (31) games in 1968 and does not appear on this top one-hundred single season leaders for wins chart, is the only modern pitcher with more than thirty (30+) wins during a single season?

Baseball Almanac believes that this record is a perfect example of an unbeatable baseball record. Do you agree? Disagree? Take a moment, share your opinion, and tell us your thoughts on other unbeatable records on our message board.

The modern Major League standard for a "great" season is a pitcher with twenty (20) or more victories, yet they would not begin to make this chart until about number three-hundred eighty (380).
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