andyfox
11-25-2003, 02:35 AM
Warren Spahn died today. You didn't hear much about Spahnie after he retired, but he was a great, great pitcher.
I've always been surprised that his name rarely comes up when the all-time great pitchers are mentioned.
The top five winners in baseball history were Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Christy Mathewson and Warren Spahn. Spahn was sixth in career shutouts, behind those five and Eddie Plank. Spahn won twenty games more times than Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver combined; more times than fellow lefties Sandy Koufax, Jim Kaat, Tommy John and Billy Pierce combined. His career won-lost record is about the same as Don Drysdale's and Sandy Koufax's--added together.
He was twenty-five years old before he won his first major league game, having had to fight a war before he got started. His win totals from 1947 through 1963 were 21, 15, 21, 21, 22, 14, 23, 21, 17, 20, 21, 22, 21, 21, 21, 18 and 23. That last number, 23 wins, came at age 42, when he led the league with twenty-two complete games and tossed seven shut-outs.
He pitched long enough to be caught by Ernie Lombardi and by Joe Torre.
A truly great name in baseball history.
I've always been surprised that his name rarely comes up when the all-time great pitchers are mentioned.
The top five winners in baseball history were Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Christy Mathewson and Warren Spahn. Spahn was sixth in career shutouts, behind those five and Eddie Plank. Spahn won twenty games more times than Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver combined; more times than fellow lefties Sandy Koufax, Jim Kaat, Tommy John and Billy Pierce combined. His career won-lost record is about the same as Don Drysdale's and Sandy Koufax's--added together.
He was twenty-five years old before he won his first major league game, having had to fight a war before he got started. His win totals from 1947 through 1963 were 21, 15, 21, 21, 22, 14, 23, 21, 17, 20, 21, 22, 21, 21, 21, 18 and 23. That last number, 23 wins, came at age 42, when he led the league with twenty-two complete games and tossed seven shut-outs.
He pitched long enough to be caught by Ernie Lombardi and by Joe Torre.
A truly great name in baseball history.