Top 25 Winning Percentage in 1961 in the National League

Winning Percentage : 1961 National 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)

1961 Winning Percentage Leaders
Top 25 in the National League

Name Winning Percentage Team Rank

Johnny Podres .783 (.78261) Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Jim O'Toole .679 (.67857) Cincinnati Reds 2

Joey Jay .677 (.67742) Cincinnati Reds 3

Lew Burdette .621 (.62069) Milwaukee Braves 4

Warren Spahn .618 (.61765) Milwaukee Braves 5

Jack Sanford .591 (.59091) San Francisco Giants 6

Ray Sadecki .583 (.58333) St. Louis Cardinals 7

Sandy Koufax .581 (.58065) Los Angeles Dodgers 8

Bob Purkey .571 (.57143) Cincinnati Reds 9

Don Drysdale .565 (.56522) Los Angeles Dodgers 10

Joe Gibbon .565 (.56522) Pittsburgh Pirates

Juan Marichal .565 (.56522) San Francisco Giants

Larry Jackson .560 (.56000) St. Louis Cardinals 13

Stan Williams .556 (.55556) Los Angeles Dodgers 14

Bob Gibson .520 (.52000) St. Louis Cardinals 15

Don Cardwell .517 (.51724) Chicago Cubs 16

Dick Ellsworth .476 (.47619) Chicago Cubs 17

Bob Buhl .474 (.47368) Milwaukee Braves 18

Curt Simmons .474 (.47368) St. Louis Cardinals

Mike McCormick .448 (.44828) San Francisco Giants 20

Jack Curtis .435 (.43478) Chicago Cubs 21

Ernie Broglio .429 (.42857) St. Louis Cardinals 22

Bob Friend .424 (.42424) Pittsburgh Pirates 23

Art Mahaffey .367 (.36667) Philadelphia Phillies 24

Glen Hobbie .350 (.35000) Chicago Cubs 25

Name Winning Percentage Team Rank

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.

Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

The most recognizable Detroit Tiger to wear the number twenty-five was probably Norm Cash (who wore it from 1960 through 1974), but did you know that Hall of Famer Larry Doby also wore it during his single season with Detroit?

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