The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #30 Warren Spahn

Toeing the rubber at #30 is starting pitcher Warren Spahn. There is a pretty convincing argument that Spahn is squarely in the conversation of the greatest pitcher of all time. Quite literally, there is an 85-year stretch where Spahn’s career was unrivaled. From 1915 to 2000, Spahn won 34 more games than any other pitcher and threw 26 more complete games than any other pitcher. He threw a minimum of 260 innings in 14 different seasons during this stretch, which is four more seasons than anyone else. Even more remarkable is that Spahn was a 13-time 20-game winner, which is the most in history. He led the league in wins eight times and complete games nine times, both are the most in history. Spahn was a 17-time all-star selection, which is five more than any other pitcher in history. His Black Ink and Gray Ink scores are the highest of any pitcher since 1930. Spahn’s durability showed up in the postseason as well. He is the only pitcher since 1912 to throw two 10-inning games in the World Series, including in Game 4 of the 1957 series, helping propel the Minneapolis Braves over the heavily favored New York Yankees. It’s fun to imagine what Spahn’s career might have looked like had he not missed three-and-a-half seasons of his prime serving in WWII.

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