Warren Spahn
The most dominant left-handed pitcher in baseball history didn't even reach his peak until his 30s. Spahn won 20 games in a season 13 times, with eight of those coming after age 35 — a testament to his legendary durability and craft.
His 363 career victories stand as the most by any southpaw, built on pinpoint control and an ever-evolving repertoire. While his 3.09 ERA looks modest by today's standards, his 126 ERA+ reveals he was consistently 26 percent better than league average across two decades. That peak 197 ERA+ season shows just how dominant he could be.
Spahn's longevity was unmatched — he threw over 5,200 innings while striking out 2,583 batters in an era when power pitching meant something entirely different. His 14 All-Star selections spanning from the 1940s through 1960s capture a career that bridged baseball generations.
Career · Hitting
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | BSN | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 | — | — |
| 1946 | BSN | 24 | 43 | 0 | 4 | .163 | — | — |
| 1947 | BSN | 41 | 98 | 0 | 6 | .163 | — | — |
| 1948 | BSN | 37 | 90 | 1 | 7 | .167 | — | — |
| 1949 | BSN | 40 | 111 | 2 | 10 | .162 | — | — |
| 1950 | BSN | 41 | 106 | 1 | 13 | .217 | — | — |
| 1951 | BSN | 42 | 116 | 1 | 18 | .190 | — | — |
| 1952 | BSN | 52 | 112 | 2 | 9 | .161 | — | — |
| 1953 | ML1 | 38 | 105 | 2 | 12 | .219 | — | — |
| 1954 | ML1 | 41 | 101 | 1 | 10 | .208 | .563 | — |
| 1955 | ML1 | 40 | 81 | 4 | 14 | .210 | .642 | — |
| 1956 | ML1 | 39 | 105 | 3 | 10 | .210 | .562 | — |
| 1957 | ML1 | 39 | 94 | 2 | 8 | .138 | .415 | — |
| 1958 | ML1 | 41 | 108 | 2 | 15 | .333 | .844 | — |
| 1959 | ML1 | 40 | 104 | 2 | 8 | .231 | .541 | — |
| 1960 | ML1 | 40 | 95 | 3 | 7 | .147 | .449 | — |
| 1961 | ML1 | 39 | 94 | 4 | 15 | .223 | .704 | — |
| 1962 | ML1 | 36 | 98 | 2 | 9 | .184 | .499 | — |
| 1963 | ML1 | 33 | 90 | 2 | 6 | .178 | .508 | — |
| 1964 | ML1 | 39 | 59 | 1 | 5 | .186 | .455 | — |
| 1965 | NYM | 37 | 56 | 0 | 3 | .125 | .397 | — |
| Career | 783 | 1872 | 35 | 189 | .194 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | BSN | 4 | 15.7 | 0 | 0 | 5.74 | 62 | 7 | 2.298 |
| 1946 | BSN | 24 | 125.7 | 8 | 5 | 2.94 | 122 | 67 | 1.138 |
| 1947 | BSN | 40 | 289.7 | 21 | 10 | 2.33 | 170 | 123 | 1.136 |
| 1948 | BSN | 36 | 257.0 | 15 | 12 | 3.71 | 111 | 114 | 1.222 |
| 1949 | BSN | 38 | 302.3 | 21 | 14 | 3.07 | 134 | 151 | 1.221 |
| 1950 | BSN | 41 | 293.0 | 21 | 17 | 3.16 | 138 | 191 | 1.225 |
| 1951 | BSN | 39 | 310.7 | 22 | 14 | 2.98 | 136 | 164 | 1.246 |
| 1952 | BSN | 40 | 290.0 | 14 | 19 | 2.98 | 124 | 183 | 1.159 |
| 1953 | ML1 | 35 | 265.7 | 23 | 7 | 2.10 | 197 | 148 | 1.058 |
| 1954 | ML1 | 39 | 283.3 | 21 | 12 | 3.14 | 124 | 136 | 1.228 |
| 1955 | ML1 | 39 | 245.7 | 17 | 14 | 3.26 | 123 | 110 | 1.278 |
| 1956 | ML1 | 39 | 281.3 | 20 | 11 | 2.78 | 143 | 128 | 1.070 |
| 1957 | ML1 | 39 | 271.0 | 21 | 11 | 2.69 | 142 | 111 | 1.177 |
| 1958 | ML1 | 38 | 290.0 | 22 | 11 | 3.07 | 126 | 150 | 1.148 |
| 1959 | ML1 | 40 | 292.0 | 21 | 15 | 2.96 | 132 | 143 | 1.205 |
| 1960 | ML1 | 40 | 267.7 | 21 | 10 | 3.50 | 109 | 154 | 1.225 |
| 1961 | ML1 | 38 | 262.7 | 21 | 13 | 3.02 | 133 | 115 | 1.142 |
| 1962 | ML1 | 34 | 269.3 | 18 | 14 | 3.04 | 130 | 118 | 1.125 |
| 1963 | ML1 | 33 | 259.7 | 23 | 7 | 2.60 | 133 | 102 | 1.117 |
| 1964 | ML1 | 38 | 173.7 | 6 | 13 | 5.29 | 68 | 78 | 1.474 |
| 1965 | NYM | 36 | 197.7 | 7 | 16 | 4.01 | 87 | 90 | 1.346 |
| Career | 750 | 5243.9 | 363 | 245 | — | — | 2583 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.