20 Wins Club National League Pitchers 1951

20 Wins Club : 1951 - 1975

Twenty wins in a single season is a truly a magical plateau. Jim Bouton wrote in his classic book Ball Four, "If you had a pill that would guarantee a pitcher twenty wins, but might take five years off his life, he'd take it."

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the pitchers from 1951 through 1975 who are members of the National League 20 Wins Club. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season. Quantities are cumulative, consecutive and include instances from other major leagues also.

"Whenever I threw a home-run ball, and Lord knows I threw plenty of them, I usually knew as soon as I saw that full swing what I had done wrong." - Robin Roberts (five time twenty-game winner in the National League)

Twenty Wins Club '1951 to 1975' In Chronological Order
Name^(Quantity)	Team	Wins	Losses	Year	Top 25
Larry Jansen⁽²⁾	New York	23	11	1951	Top 25
Sal Maglie⁽¹⁾	New York	23	6
Preacher Roe⁽¹⁾	Brooklyn	22	3
Warren Spahn⁽⁴⁾	Boston	22	14
Robin Roberts⁽²⁾	Philadelphia	21	15
Murry Dickson⁽¹⁾	Pittsburgh	20	16
Don Newcombe⁽¹⁾	Brooklyn	20	9
Robin Roberts⁽³⁾	Philadelphia	28	7	1952	Top 25
Robin Roberts⁽⁴⁾	Philadelphia	23	16	1953	Top 25
Warren Spahn⁽⁵⁾	Milwaukee	23	7
Carl Erskine⁽¹⁾	Brooklyn	20	6
Harvey Haddix⁽¹⁾	St. Louis	20	9
Robin Roberts⁽⁵⁾	Philadelphia	23	15	1954	Top 25
Johnny Antonelli⁽¹⁾	New York	21	7
Warren Spahn⁽⁶⁾	Milwaukee	21	12
Robin Roberts⁽⁶⁾	Philadelphia	23	14	1955	Top 25
Don Newcombe⁽²⁾	Brooklyn	20	5	1955	Top 25
Don Newcombe⁽³⁾	Brooklyn	27	7	1956	Top 25
Johnny Antonelli⁽²⁾	New York	20	13
Warren Spahn⁽⁷⁾	Milwaukee	20	11
Warren Spahn⁽⁸⁾	Milwaukee	21	7	1957	Top 25
Bob Friend⁽¹⁾	Pittsburgh	22	14	1958	Top 25
Warren Spahn⁽⁹⁾	Milwaukee	22	11
Lew Burdette⁽¹⁾	Milwaukee	20	10
Lew Burdette⁽²⁾	Milwaukee	21	15	1959	Top 25
Sam Jones⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	21	15
Warren Spahn⁽¹⁰⁾	Milwaukee	21	15
Ernie Broglio⁽¹⁾	St. Louis	21	9	1960	Top 25
Warren Spahn⁽¹¹⁾	Milwaukee	21	10
Vern Law⁽¹⁾	Pittsburgh	20	9
Joey Jay⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati	21	10	1961	Top 25
Warren Spahn⁽¹²⁾	Milwaukee	21	13	1961	Top 25
Don Drysdale⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles	25	9	1962	Top 25
Jack Sanford⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	24	7
Bob Purkey⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati	23	15
Joey Jay⁽²⁾	Cincinnati	21	14
Sandy Koufax⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles	25	5	1963	Top 25
Juan Marichal⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	25	8
Jim Maloney⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati	23	7
Warren Spahn⁽¹³⁾	Milwaukee	23	7
Dick Ellsworth⁽¹⁾	Chicago	22	10
Larry Jackson⁽¹⁾	Chicago	24	11	1964	Top 25
Juan Marichal⁽²⁾	San Francisco	21	8
Ray Sadecki⁽¹⁾	St. Louis	20	11
Sandy Koufax⁽²⁾	Los Angeles	26	8	1965	Top 25
Tony Cloninger⁽¹⁾	Milwaukee	24	11
Don Drysdale⁽²⁾	Los Angeles	23	12
Sammy Ellis⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati	22	10
Juan Marichal⁽³⁾	San Francisco	22	13
Bob Gibson⁽¹⁾	St. Louis	20	12
Jim Maloney⁽²⁾	Cincinnati	20	9
Sandy Koufax⁽³⁾	Los Angeles	27	9	1966	Top 25
Juan Marichal⁽⁴⁾	San Francisco	25	6
Bob Gibson⁽²⁾	St. Louis	21	12
Gaylord Perry⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	21	8
Chris Short⁽¹⁾	Philadlephia	20	10
Mike McCormick⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	22	10	1967	Top 25
Fergie Jenkins⁽¹⁾	Chicago	20	13	1967	Top 25
Juan Marichal⁽⁵⁾	San Francisco	26	9	1968	Top 25
Bob Gibson⁽³⁾	St. Louis	22	9
Fergie Jenkins⁽²⁾	Chicago	20	15
Tom Seaver⁽¹⁾	New York	25	7	1969	Top 25
Phil Niekro⁽¹⁾	Atlanta	23	13
Fergie Jenkins⁽³⁾	Chicago	21	15
Juan Marichal⁽⁶⁾	San Francisco	21	11
Larry Dierker⁽¹⁾	Houston	20	13
Bob Gibson⁽⁴⁾	St. Louis	20	13
Bill Hands⁽¹⁾	Chicago	20	14
Claude Osteen⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles	20	15
Bill Singer⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles	20	12
Bob Gibson⁽⁵⁾	St. Louis	23	7	1970	Top 25
Gaylord Perry⁽²⁾	San Francisco	23	13
Fergie Jenkins⁽⁴⁾	Chicago	22	16
Jim Merritt⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati	20	12
Fergie Jenkins⁽⁵⁾	Chicago	24	13	1971	Top 25
Al Downing⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles	20	9
Steve Carlton⁽¹⁾	St. Louis	20	9
Tom Seaver⁽²⁾	New York	20	10
Steve Carlton⁽²⁾	Philadelphia	27	10	1972	Top 25
Tom Seaver⁽³⁾	New York	21	12
Fergie Jenkins⁽⁶⁾	Chicago	20	12
Claude Osteen⁽²⁾	Los Angeles	20	11
Ron Bryant⁽¹⁾	San Francisco	24	12	1973	Top 25
Andy Messersmith⁽²⁾	Los Angeles	20	6	1974	Top 25
Phil Niekro⁽²⁾	Atlanta	20	13	1974	Top 25
Tom Seaver⁽⁴⁾	New York	22	9	1975	Top 25
Randy Jones⁽¹⁾	San Diego	20	12	1975	Top 25
Name^(Quantity)	Team	Wins	Losses	Year	Top 25
Twenty Wins Club

In 1955, Robin Roberts gave up forty-one (41) home runs during a twenty (20) win season. This is the most by National League pitcher during a twenty (20) win season and in 1979 Phil Niekro tied that long ball mark.

Which National League pitcher allowed the fewest home runs during a twenty (20) win season? Jesse Tannehill (1902), Deacon Phillippe (1905), Jake Weimer (1906) and Vic Willis (1906) did not allow any.

In 1919, Slim Sallee won twenty-one (21) games, yet only struck out twenty-four (24) batters — a National League record amongst twenty (20) game winners.

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