Complete Games by Pitchers
This article was written by Stanley Fleming
This article was published in 1976 Baseball Research Journal
Since the designated hitter rule went into effect in 1973, American League starting hurlers have been completing a greater percentage of their games. In 1975, for example, Catfish Hunter completed 30 of his 39 starts, Jim Palmer 25 of 38, Gaylord Perry 25 of 37, and Ferguson Jenkins 22 of 37. In the NL, Andy Messersmith finished 19 of 40, and Randy Jones 18 of 36.
The AL percentages still are not as high as they used to be in the deadball era. Since 1900 there has been a gradual decrease in the percentage of complete games, a decline interrupted in the AL by the DH. This decrease is probably best illustrated by career records since the days of Jack Taylor, who completed 97% of his career starts. Here are the hurlers who had the best completion rates for their particular eras.
Years | Pitcher | Team | Starts | CG | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1898-1907 | Jack Taylor | 2 clubs | 286 | 278 | 97% |
1898-1915 | Bill Donovan | 4 clubs | 327 | 287 | 88% |
1907-1927 | Walter Johnson | Nats | 666 | 532 | 80% |
1923-1946 | Ted Lyons | White Sox | 484 | 356 | 74% |
1927-1941 | Wes Ferrell | 6 clubs | 323 | 227 | 70% |
1934-1950 | Bucky Walters | 4 clubs | 398 | 242 | 61% |
1942-1965 | Warren Spahn | 3 clubs | 665 | 383 | 57% |
1960-1975 | Juan Marichal | 3 clubs | 457 | 244 | 53% |
1959-1975 | Bob Gibson | Cardinals | 482 | 245 | 51% |
Completing 50% of a pitcher’s starts these days is considered quite a feat. Hall of Fame hurlers like Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford were well under 50%. With the retirements of Marichal and Gibson, the only veteran hurlers with creditable percentages are Ferguson Jenkins (200 out of 362 for 55%) and Gaylord Perry (236 out of 438 for 54%). Both are in the American League.
On a season basis, the only hurlers in the past 70 years to complete all their starts in one year were Walter Johnson in 1918 (a World War I season) and Ted Lyons in 1942 (a World War II season). Lyons was 41 years old and had become a Sunday hurler by that time. He not only completed all of his 20 starts, but led the AL in the ERA as well.
The lowest percentage by a leader was the 43% completion rate by the Angels’ Dean Chance in 1964.
The emergence of top notch relief hurlers is one of the factors in the decline in the number of complete games. Also, pitchers today do not pace themselves as they did in earlier years. Now they can throw as hard as they like because they know there is some one in the bullpen ready to relieve them. So it is not really fair to say that pitchers of long ago were better because they completed most of their games. The strategy has changed.
One part of that strategy is the hitting of pitchers. If the hurler is good with the bat, the manager is not so prone to remove him for a pinch hitter. This is reflected in the good complete game records of hurlers like Red Lucas, Wes Ferrell, Jim Tobin, Bucky Walters, and Red Ruffing. This rationale could even be extended to pitcher Babe Ruth, who led one year in complete game percentage.
There are other interesting names in the list of pitchers with the best completion rate each year. The survey is based on a minimum of 20 starts for the 154-game schedule, and 21 starts for 162 games.
Pitchers With Highest Complete Game Percentage
Year |
NL Leader |
GS |
CG |
Pct. |
|
AL Leader |
GS |
CG |
Pct. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1901 |
Red Donahue |
34 |
34 |
100% |
|
Roscoe Miller |
36 |
35 |
100% |
1902 |
Jack Taylor |
33 |
33 |
100 |
|
Al Orth |
37 |
36 |
97 |
1903 |
Noodles Hahn |
34 |
34 |
100 |
|
Bill Donovan |
34 |
34 |
100 |
|
Jack Taylor |
33 |
33 |
100 |
|
Addie Joss |
32 |
32 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frank Kitson |
28 |
28 |
100 |
1904 |
Jack Taylor |
39 |
39 |
100 |
|
Bill Dinneen |
37 |
37 |
100 |
|
Kid Nichols |
35 |
35 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pat Flaherty |
28 |
28 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Lynch |
24 |
24 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
1905 |
Jack Taylor |
34 |
34 |
100 |
|
Addie Joss |
32 |
31 |
97 |
|
Mordecai Brown |
24 |
24 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
1906 |
Jack Taylor |
33 |
32 |
97 |
|
Jack Powell |
26 |
25 |
96 |
1907 |
Elmer Stricklett |
26 |
25 |
96 |
|
Bill Donovan |
28 |
27 |
96 |
1908 |
Kaiser Wilhelm |
36 |
33 |
92 |
|
Cy Young |
33 |
30 |
91 |
1909 |
George Bell |
30 |
29 |
97 |
|
Jack Warhop |
23 |
21 |
91 |
1910 |
Mordecai Brown |
31 |
27 |
87 |
|
Jack Coombs |
38 |
35 |
92 |
1911 |
Gr. Alexander |
37 |
31 |
84 |
|
Walter Johnson |
37 |
36 |
97 |
1912 |
Ch. Mathewson |
34 |
27 |
79 |
|
Joe Wood |
38 |
35 |
92 |
1913 |
George Tyler |
34 |
28 |
82 |
|
Walter Johnson |
36 |
30 |
83 |
1914 |
Dick Rudolph |
36 |
31 |
86 |
|
Ray Caldwell |
23 |
22 |
96 |
1915 |
Gr. Alexander |
42 |
36 |
86 |
|
Walter Johnson |
39 |
35 |
90 |
1916 |
Gr.Alexander |
45 |
38 |
84 |
|
Walter Johnson |
38 |
36 |
95 |
1917 |
Jesse Barnes |
33 |
27 |
82 |
|
Babe Ruth |
38 |
35 |
92 |
1918 |
Arthur Nehf |
31 |
28 |
90 |
|
Walter Johnson |
29 |
29 |
100 |
1919 |
Jeff Pfeffer |
30 |
26 |
87 |
|
Walter Johnson |
29 |
27 |
93 |
1920 |
Gr. Alexander |
40 |
33 |
83 |
|
Eddie Cicotte |
35 |
28 |
80 |
1921 |
Burleigh Grimes |
35 |
30 |
86 |
|
Red Faber |
39 |
32 |
82 |
1922 |
Dutch Ruether |
35 |
26 |
74 |
|
Red Faber |
38 |
31 |
82 |
1923 |
Burleigh Grimes |
38 |
33 |
87 |
|
Herb Pennock |
27 |
21 |
78 |
1924 |
Dazzy Vance |
34 |
30 |
88 |
|
Louis Thurston |
36 |
28 |
78 |
1925 |
Dazzy Vance |
31 |
26 |
84 |
|
Sherry Smith |
30 |
22 |
73 |
1926 |
Carl Mays |
33 |
24 |
73 |
|
George Uhie |
36 |
32 |
89 |
1927 |
Red Lucas |
23 |
19 |
83 |
|
Ted Lyons |
34 |
30 |
88 |
1928 |
Larry Benton |
35 |
28 |
80 |
|
Lefty Grove |
31 |
24 |
77 |
1929 |
Red Lucas |
32 |
28 |
88 |
|
Tommy Thomas |
31 |
24 |
77 |
1930 |
Ervin Brame |
29 |
22 |
76 |
|
Ted Lyons |
36 |
29 |
81 |
1931 |
Red Lucas |
29 |
24 |
83 |
|
Lefty Grove |
30 |
27 |
90 |
1932 |
Red Lucas |
31 |
28 |
90 |
|
Lefty Grove |
30 |
27 |
90 |
1933 |
Dizzy Dean |
34 |
26 |
76 |
|
Lefty Grove |
28 |
21 |
75 |
|
Lon Warneke |
34 |
26 |
76 |
|
|
|
|
|
1934 |
Carl Hubbell |
34 |
25 |
74 |
|
Ted Lyons |
24 |
21 |
88 |
1935 |
Dizzy Dean |
36 |
29 |
81 |
|
Ted Lyons |
22 |
19 |
86 |
1936 |
Dizzy Dean |
34 |
28 |
82 |
|
Red Ruffing |
33 |
25 |
76 |
1937 |
Jim Turner |
30 |
24 |
80 |
|
Wes Ferrell |
35 |
26 |
74 |
1938 |
Paul Derringer |
37 |
26 |
70 |
|
Bobo Newsorn |
40 |
31 |
78 |
1939 |
Bucky Walters |
36 |
31 |
86 |
|
Red Ruffing |
28 |
22 |
79 |
1940 |
Bucky Walters |
36 |
29 |
81 |
|
Thornton Lee |
27 |
24 |
89 |
1941 |
Bucky Walters |
35 |
27 |
77 |
|
Thornton Lee |
34 |
30 |
88 |
1942 |
James Tobin |
33 |
28 |
85 |
|
Ted Lyons |
20 |
20 |
100 |
1943 |
Rip Sewell |
31 |
25 |
81 |
|
Orval Grove |
25 |
18 |
72 |
1944 |
Bucky Walters |
32 |
27 |
84 |
|
Tex Hughson |
23 |
19 |
83 |
1945 |
Red Barrett |
34 |
24 |
71 |
|
Boo Ferriss |
31 |
26 |
84 |
1946 |
Johnny Sam |
34 |
24 |
71 |
|
Bob Feller |
42 |
36 |
86 |
1947 |
Ewell Blackwell |
33 |
23 |
70 |
|
Fred Hutchinson |
25 |
18 |
72 |
1948 |
Johnny Sam |
39 |
28 |
72 |
|
Carl Scheib |
24 |
15 |
63 |
1949 |
Warren Spahn |
38 |
25 |
66 |
|
Mel Parnell |
33 |
27 |
82 |
1950 |
Vern Bickford |
39 |
27 |
69 |
|
Ned Garver |
31 |
22 |
71 |
1951 |
Warren Spahn |
36 |
26 |
72 |
|
Ned Garver |
30 |
24 |
80 |
1952 |
Robin Roberts |
37 |
30 |
81 |
|
Allie Reynolds |
29 |
24 |
83 |
1953 |
Robin Roberts |
41 |
33 |
80 |
|
Bob Porterfield |
32 |
24 |
75 |
1954 |
Robin Roberts |
38 |
29 |
76 |
|
Bob Porterfield |
31 |
21 |
68 |
1955 |
Robin Roberts |
38 |
26 |
68 |
|
Billy Pierce |
26 |
16 |
62 |
1956 |
Robin Roberts |
37 |
22 |
59 |
|
Billy Pierce |
33 |
21 |
64 |
1957 |
Warren Spahn |
35 |
18 |
51 |
|
Dick Donovan |
28 |
16 |
57 |
1958 |
Warren Spahn |
36 |
23 |
64 |
|
Bob Turley |
31 |
19 |
61 |
1959 |
Vernon Law |
33 |
20 |
61 |
|
Camilo Pascual |
30 |
17 |
57 |
1960 |
Lew Burdette |
32 |
18 |
56 |
|
Chuck Estrada |
25 |
12 |
48 |
1961 |
Warren Spahn |
34 |
21 |
62 |
|
Frank Lary |
36 |
22 |
61 |
1962 |
Warren Spahn |
34 |
22 |
65 |
|
Camilo Pascual |
33 |
18 |
55 |
1963 |
Warren Spahn |
33 |
22 |
67 |
|
Camilo Pascual |
31 |
18 |
58 |
1964 |
Juan Marichal |
33 |
22 |
67 |
|
Dean Chance |
35 |
15 |
43 |
1965 |
Sandy Koufax |
41 |
27 |
66 |
|
Mel Stottlemyre |
37 |
18 |
49 |
1966 |
Juan Marichal |
36 |
25 |
69 |
|
Jim Kaat |
41 |
19 |
46 |
1967 |
Juan Marichal |
26 |
18 |
69 |
|
Steve Hargan |
29 |
15 |
52 |
1968 |
Bob Gibson |
34 |
28 |
82 |
|
Denny McLain |
41 |
28 |
68 |
1969 |
Bob Gibson |
35 |
28 |
80 |
|
Mel Stottlemyre |
39 |
24 |
62 |
1970 |
Bob Gibson |
34 |
23 |
68 |
|
Mike Cuellar |
40 |
21 |
53 |
1971 |
Ferg. Jenkins |
39 |
30 |
77 |
|
Mickey Lolich |
45 |
29 |
64 |
1972 |
Steve Canton |
41 |
30 |
73 |
|
Gaylord Perry |
40 |
29 |
73 |
1973 |
Bob Gibson |
25 |
13 |
52 |
|
Gaylord Perry |
41 |
29 |
71 |
1974 |
Phil Niekro |
39 |
18 |
46 |
|
Gaylord Perry |
37 |
28 |
76 |
1975 |
Randy Jones |
36 |
18 |
50 |
|
Jim Hunter |
39 |
30 |
77 |