Wins : 1939 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)
 

1939 Wins Leaders

Top 25 in the American League

Bob Feller 24 Cleveland Indians 1
Red Ruffing 21 New York Yankees 2
Dutch Leonard 20 Washington Senators 3
Bobo Newsom 20 St. Louis Browns  
Detroit Tigers  
Tommy Bridges 17 Detroit Tigers 5
Lefty Grove 15 Boston Red Sox 6
Mel Harder 15 Cleveland Indians  
Thornton Lee 15 Chicago White Sox  
Johnny Rigney 15 Chicago White Sox  
Ted Lyons 14 Chicago White Sox 10
Al Milnar 14 Cleveland Indians  
Atley Donald 13 New York Yankees 12
Lefty Gomez 12 New York Yankees 13
Bump Hadley 12 New York Yankees  
Monte Pearson 12 New York Yankees  
Clint Brown 11 Chicago White Sox 16
Joe Heving 11 Boston Red Sox  
Jack Knott 11 Chicago White Sox  
Joe Krakauskas 11 Washington Senators  
Fritz Ostermueller 11 Boston Red Sox  
Steve Sundra 11 New York Yankees  
Jack Wilson 11 Boston Red Sox  
Ken Chase 10 Washington Senators 23
Oral Hildebrand 10 New York Yankees  
Lynn Nelson 10 Philadelphia Athletics  



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.