Single Season Leaders for Winning Percentage

Not just winning, but winning more often than losing. To make this list you first need at least fifteen (15) decisions [wins plus losses] in one season. After you have those wins under your belt, you then need some seriously good pitching skill, a good team around you, and a lot more victories than losses during that same season.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League winning percentage. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"They want to know if I'm tired. I always say 'no,' I've pitched so many times that once more doesn't matter." - Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Roy Face (#1 Ranked Single Season Winning Percentage Leader)
Winning Percentage
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Roy Face .947 (.94737) 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 1
Johnny Allen .938 (.93750) 1937 Cleveland Indians AL 2
Phil Regan .933 (.93333) 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers NL 3
Perry Werden .923 (.92308) 1884 St. Louis Maroons UA 4
Larry Twitchell .917 (.91667) 1887 Detroit Wolverines NL 5
Greg Maddux .905 (.90476) 1995 Atlanta Braves NL 6
Randy Johnson .900 (.90000) 1995 Seattle Mariners AL 7
Ron Guidry .893 (.89286) 1978 New York Yankees AL 8
Freddie Fitzsimmons .889 (.88889) 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 9
Lefty Grove .886 (.88571) 1931 Philadelphia Athletics AL 10
Bob Stanley .882 (.88235) 1978 Boston Red Sox AL 11
Cliff Lee .880 (.88000) 2008 Cleveland Indians AL 12
Preacher Roe .880 (.88000) 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers NL  
Ron Davis .875 (.87500) 1979 New York Yankees AL 14
Fred Goldsmith .875 (.87500) 1880 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Deacon Phillippe .875 (.87500) 1910 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Tom Seaver .875 (.87500) 1981 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Joe Wood .872 (.87179) 1912 Boston Red Sox AL 18
Roger Clemens .870 (.86957) 2001 New York Yankees AL 19
David Cone .870 (.86957) 1988 New York Mets NL  
Roger Moret .867 (.86667) 1973 Boston Red Sox AL 21
Orel Hershiser .864 (.86364) 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers NL 22
Bill Donovan .862 (.86207) 1907 Detroit Tigers AL 23
Whitey Ford .862 (.86207) 1961 New York Yankees AL  
Jason Bere .857 (.85714) 1994 Chicago White Sox AL 25
Roger Clemens .857 (.85714) 1986 Boston Red Sox AL  
Dwight Gooden .857 (.85714) 1985 New York Mets NL  
Charlie Hodnett .857 (.85714) 1884 St. Louis Maroons UA  
Daisuke Matsuzaka .857 (.85714) 2008 Boston Red Sox AL  
Mike Nagy .857 (.85714) 1969 Boston Red Sox AL  
Eddie Rommel .857 (.85714) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Harry Wheeler .857 (.85714) 1878 Providence Grays NL  
Eddie Yuhas .857 (.85714) 1952 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Pedro Martinez .852 (.85185) 1999 Boston Red Sox AL 34
Chief Bender .850 (.85000) 1914 Philadelphia Athletics AL 35
John Smoltz .850 (.85000) 1998 Atlanta Braves NL  
Lefty Grove .848 (.84848) 1930 Philadelphia Athletics AL 37
Mike Hampton .846 (.84615) 1999 Houston Astros NL 38
Sandy Consuegra .842 (.84211) 1954 Chicago White Sox AL 39
Tom Hughes .842 (.84211) 1916 Boston Braves NL  
Ron Perranoski .842 (.84211) 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Schoolboy Rowe .842 (.84211) 1940 Detroit Tigers AL  
Ralph Terry .842 (.84211) 1961 New York Yankees AL  
Emil Yde .842 (.84211) 1924 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Lefty Gomez .839 (.83871) 1934 New York Yankees AL 45
Bill Hoffer .838 (.83784) 1895 Baltimore Orioles NL 46
Denny McLain .838 (.83784) 1968 Detroit Tigers AL  
Walter Johnson .837 (.83721) 1913 Washington Senators AL 48
Henry Boyle .833 (.83333) 1884 St. Louis Maroons UA 49
Spud Chandler .833 (.83333) 1943 New York Yankees AL  
King Cole .833 (.83333) 1910 Chicago Cubs NL  
Marvin Freeman .833 (.83333) 1994 Colorado Rockies NL  
Randy Johnson .833 (.83333) 1997 Seattle Mariners AL  
Sandy Koufax .833 (.83333) 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Pedro Martinez .833 (.83333) 2002 Boston Red Sox AL  
Hoyt Wilhelm .833 (.83333) 1952 New York Giants NL  
Old Hoss Radbourn .831 (.83099) 1884 Providence Grays NL 57
Randy Johnson .828 (.82759) 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks NL 58
Greg Maddux .826 (.82609) 1997 Atlanta Braves NL 59
Ed Reulbach .826 (.82609) 1906 Chicago Cubs NL  
Elmer Riddle .826 (.82609) 1941 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Jack Chesbro .824 (.82353) 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 62
Juan Guzman .824 (.82353) 1993 Toronto Blue Jays AL  
Jay Hughes .824 (.82353) 1899 Brooklyn Superbas NL  
Bob Moose .824 (.82353) 1969 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Roger Moret .824 (.82353) 1975 Boston Red Sox AL  
Al Orth .824 (.82353) 1899 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Roy Oswalt .824 (.82353) 2001 Houston Astros NL  
Wayne Simpson .824 (.82353) 1970 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Dazzy Vance .824 (.82353) 1924 Brooklyn Robins NL  
Chief Bender .821 (.82143) 1910 Philadelphia Athletics AL 71
Bob Purkey .821 (.82143) 1962 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Barry Zito .821 (.82143) 2002 Oakland Athletics AL  
Joe Boever .818 (.81818) 1994 Detroit Tigers AL 74
Roger Clemens .818 (.81818) 2004 Houston Astros NL  
Sal Maglie .818 (.81818) 1950 New York Giants NL  
Mark Portugal .818 (.81818) 1993 Houston Astros NL  
Bob Welch .818 (.81818) 1990 Oakland Athletics AL  
David Wells .818 (.81818) 1998 New York Yankees AL  
Joe McGinnity .814 (.81395) 1904 New York Giants NL 80
Mordecai Brown .813 (.81250) 1906 Chicago Cubs NL 81
Jim Coates .813 (.81250) 1960 New York Yankees AL  
Atley Donald .813 (.81250) 1939 New York Yankees AL  
Bob Feller .813 (.81250) 1954 Cleveland Indians AL  
Russ Ford .813 (.81250) 1910 New York Highlanders AL  
Moose Haas .813 (.81250) 1983 Milwaukee Brewers AL  
Al Hrabosky .813 (.81250) 1975 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Carl Hubbell .813 (.81250) 1936 New York Giants NL  
Tommy John .813 (.81250) 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Howie Krist .813 (.81250) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Al McBean .813 (.81250) 1963 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Jamie Moyer .813 (.81250) 1996 Boston Red Sox AL  
Seattle Mariners AL
Eddie Plank .813 (.81250) 1912 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Rip Sewell .813 (.81250) 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Jorge Sosa .813 (.81250) 2005 Atlanta Braves NL  
Hooks Wiltse .813 (.81250) 1904 New York Giants NL  
Dizzy Dean .811 (.81081) 1934 St. Louis Cardinals NL 97
Paul Abbott .810 (.80952) 2001 Seattle Mariners AL 98
Johnny Allen .810 (.80952) 1932 New York Yankees AL  
Chris Carpenter .810 (.80952) 2009 St. Louis Cardinals NL 100
Doc Crandall .810 (.80952) 1910 New York Giants NL  
Jimmy Key .810 (.80952) 1994 New York Yankees AL  
Phil Niekro .810 (.80952) 1982 Atlanta Braves NL  
Ed Reulbach .810 (.80952) 1907 Chicago Cubs NL  
Ted Wilks .810 (.80952) 1944 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Current Through 2009 Season


Can the .950 plateau be broken? Could a pitcher have at least fifteen (15) decisions and still finish with a 1.000 winning percentage? It hasn't happened yet... Who has the skill? Who has the lineup? Share your opinion on our message board.

Greg Maddux, who appears on the single season leaders for winning percentage at seventh and sixtieth, set the record for consecutive Cy Young Awards won — a record tied by a different pitcher in 2002. Do you know who tied the record?

Take a moment and think about number one through number eight on the single season leaders for winning percentage chart: Each of them won at least 90% of the of their decisions during a single season.
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