Complete Games All Time Leaders by Baseball Almanac

Career Leaders for Complete Games

Each of the following work horses started the game and worked it all the way through its completion. Several of them appear on either the all time games started chart and / or all time games pitched chart and many of them are members of the hall of fame.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time career leaders in Major League complete games. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.

"Pitch them (pitchers) every three days and you'd find they'd get control and good strong arms." - Hall of Famer Cy Young (1st Overall Complete Games Leader)

Complete Games All Time Leaders 'Top 100'
Name	Games	Rank
Cy Young	749	1
Pud Galvin	639	2
Tim Keefe	554	3
Walter Johnson	531	4
Kid Nichols	531
Mickey Welch	525	6
Old Hoss Radbourn	489	7
John Clarkson	485	8
Tony Mullane	468	9
Jim McCormick	466	10
Gus Weyhing	448	11
Grover Alexander	437	12
Christy Mathewson	434	13
Jack Powell	422	14
Eddie Plank	410	15
Will White	394	16
Amos Rusie	392	17
Vic Willis	388	18
Warren Spahn	382	19
Jim Whitney	377	20
Adonis Terry	367	21
Ted Lyons	356	22
George Mullin	353	23
Charlie Buffinton	351	24
Chick Fraser	342	25
Clark Griffith	337	26
Red Ruffing	335	27
Silver King	329	28
Al Orth	324	29
Bill Hutchison	321	30
Burleigh Grimes	314	31
Joe McGinnity	314
Red Donahue	313	33
Guy Hecker	310	34
Bill Dinneen	306	35
Robin Roberts	305	36
Gaylord Perry	303	37
Ted Breitenstein	300	38
Bob Caruthers	298	39
Lefty Grove	298
Pink Hawley	297	41
Ed Morris	297
Mark Baldwin	296	43
Tommy Bond	294	44
Brickyard Kennedy	293	45
Eppa Rixey	290	46
Early Wynn	290
Bill Donovan	289	48
Bobby Mathews	289
Bert Cunningham	286	50
Wilbur Cooper	279	51
Bob Feller	279
Sadie McMahon	279
Jack Stivetts	278	54
Jack Taylor	278
Charlie Getzien	277	56
Red Faber	273	57
Mordecai Brown	271	58
Frank Dwyer	270	59
Jouett Meekin	270
Fergie Jenkins	267	61
Elton Chamberlain	264	62
Matt Kilroy	264
Jesse Tannehill	263	64
Doc White	262	65
Rube Waddell	261	66
Jack Chesbro	260	67
Red Ehret	260
Carl Hubbell	260
Larry Corcoran	256	70
Chief Bender	255	71
Bob Gibson	255
Steve Carlton	254	73
Frank Killen	253	74
Paul Derringer	251	75
Win Mercer	251
Sam Jones	250	77
Ed Walsh	250
Eddie Cicotte	249	79
Stump Wiedman	249
Herb Pennock	247	81
Bobo Newsom	246	82
George Bradley	245	83
Hooks Dauss	245
Phil Niekro	245
Harry Howell	244	86
Juan Marichal	244
John Ward	244
Jack Quinn	243	89
Bert Blyleven	242	90
Deacon Phillippe	242
Bucky Walters	242
Sam Leever	241	93
Kid Gleason	240	94
Addie Joss	234	95
George Uhle	232	96
Carl Mays	231	97
Tom Seaver	231
Harry Staley	231
Earl Moore	230	100
Name	Games	Rank
Current Through 2007 Season

The most complete games thrown during a Major League career by a left-handed pitcher is a record held by hall of fame hurler Eddie Plank in the American League and hall of fame hurler Warren Spahn in the National League.

Did you know that during the 1904 regular season Jack Taylor (tied for fifty-fourth on this chart) of St. Louis set a Major League record of for complete games during a single season with thirty-nine (39) — an amount greater than an entire league in this modern bullpen era?

Commissioner Ford Frick once made a list of unbeatable marks, but should have included Cy Young from this chart as it appears no active pitcher will ever have the health to compete with the chart toppers. The nearest three active pitchers are Roger Clemens (118), Greg Maddux (108) & Randy Johnson (96).

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