Complete Games : 1940 American League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Although baseball decided to extend the regular season deeper into October to play 162 games (after the 09-11 disaster), why not just play 154? Baseball has dealt with shortened seasons before. (Bud) Selig spoke about the sanctity of playing 162 games, but baseball played 154 games until 1961. Baseball should have just let the games go and continued with the current schedule." - Joe Morgan on ESPN (September 19, 2001)
 

1940 Complete Games Leaders

Top 25 in the American League

Bob Feller 31 Cleveland Indians 1
Thornton Lee 24 Chicago White Sox 2
Dutch Leonard 23 Washington Senators 3
Elden Auker 20 St. Louis Browns 4
Ken Chase 20 Washington Senators  
Bobo Newsom 20 Detroit Tigers  
Red Ruffing 20 New York Yankees  
Sid Hudson 19 Washington Senators 8
Johnny Rigney 19 Chicago White Sox  
Vern Kennedy 18 St. Louis Browns 10
Ted Lyons 17 Chicago White Sox 11
Johnny Babich 16 Philadelphia Athletics 12
Al Milnar 15 Cleveland Indians 13
Marius Russo 15 New York Yankees  
Nels Potter 13 Philadelphia Athletics 15
Tommy Bridges 12 Detroit Tigers 16
Eddie Smith 12 Chicago White Sox  
George Caster 11 Philadelphia Athletics 18
Schoolboy Rowe 11 Detroit Tigers  
Al Smith 11 Cleveland Indians  
Tiny Bonham 10 New York Yankees 21
Marv Breuer 10 New York Yankees  
Johnny Niggeling 10 St. Louis Browns  
Buck Ross 10 Philadelphia Athletics  
Lefty Grove 9 Boston Red Sox 25



Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros had his number twenty-five retired on October 3, 1992, and became the first Major League player with that particular retired number.

Did you know that more than forty players have worn the number twenty-five for the Boston Red Sox — including Jack Clark, Denny Galehouse, Dizzy Trout and Tony Conigliaro.

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.