Twenty Game Loser? Hall of Famer


© Harold Friend
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Jul 17, 2005


Baseball's Hall of Fame is the home of the best players in the history of the game, but even some of the best have had problems. One mark of a top flight pitcher is winning 20 games in a season, and quite a few pitchers have even won 30 games in a season, but what is remarkable is that many Hall of Fame pitchers have lost at least 20 games in a season.

Vic Willis holds the record for the most losses by a pitcher in a single season. In 1905, Vic Willis, pitching for the Boston National League entry, lost 29 games, won 12, and had a 3.21 ERA. It marked the THIRD time that Willis lost at least 20 games in a single season. In 1902 he lost 20 games and in 1904, the first of only two 20th century seasons in which there was no World Series, Willis lost 25 games. Vic Willis was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Cy Young, the pitcher whose career overlapped the 19th and 20th centuries, won a record 511 games, including 33 in 1901 and 32 in 1902, but in 1906, the thirty nine year old Young lost 21 games. Young's 511 wins (many in the 19th century) are mentioned quite often but he also lost 316 games. Young was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937 and the award for the major league's best pitcher each season was named in his honor in 1956.

The greatest right-handed pitcher of all time was Walter Johnson. In 1909, pitching for Washington, Johnson lost 25 games, won 13, and had a 2.22 ERA. Johnson was in only his third season when he lost 25 games but he went on to win more games than any pitcher but Cy Young. After his 25 loss season, Johnson won 25 games in each of the next two seasons and then was 33-12 in 1912 and an incredible 36-7 in 1913. In 1916, Johnson again was a 20 game loser, but he was also a 20 game winner as he won 25 and lost 20. Johnson, of course, is in the Hall of Fame.

Ed Walsh was another of baseball's greatest right handers. In 1910 he had one of the most unique of all seasons. Pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Walsh lost 20 games, won 18, but he led the American League in ERA with a 1.27 mark. Imagine negotiating a contract based on such a season.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages
5.   Jul 19, 2005 11:41 AM
In response to Nothing to be ashamed about posted by H2O:

Agree completely but in the playoffs and World Series or even in critical ...

-- posted by LouGehrig
4.   Jul 19, 2005 11:11 AM
It also seems the single season strikeout record is also one batters want to avoid--even though many on the list who once held the record are now in the Hall of Fame.

Another way to look at it is t ...

-- posted by H2O
3.   Jul 19, 2005 8:18 AM
In response to Re: Newsom posted by LouGehrig:

Good story. As the gurus say, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Hank ...

-- posted by humorous_sage
2.   Jul 18, 2005 8:55 AM
In response to Newsom posted by humorous_sage:

That is a great question. I certainly do not know. I will try to find out, but I DO ...

-- posted by LouGehrig
1.   Jul 18, 2005 8:07 AM
If I remember correctly, Buck Newsom pitched both ends of a double header throwing right handed in one game and left handed in the other. However, it MIGHT have been in the minors at the time pitchin ...

-- posted by humorous_sage



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