Single Season Leaders for Complete Games

Each of the following work horses started the game and worked it all the way through its completion. These pitchers completed more games in a single season than any other players in history.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League complete games. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"The genius of our institutions is democratic; Base Ball is a democratic game." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Al Spalding (#77 Ranked Single Season Complete Games Leader)
Complete Games
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Will White 75 1879 Cincinnati Reds NL 1
Old Hoss Radbourn 73 1884 Providence Grays NL 2
Pud Galvin 72 1883 Buffalo Bisons NL 3
Guy Hecker 72 1884 Louisville Colonels AA  
Jim McCormick 72 1880 Cleveland Blues NL  
Pud Galvin 71 1884 Buffalo Bisons NL 6
John Clarkson 68 1885 Chicago White Stockings NL 7
John Clarkson 68 1889 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Tim Keefe 68 1883 New York Metropolitans AA  
Bill Hutchison 67 1892 Chicago Colts NL 10
Jim Devlin 66 1876 Louisville Grays NL 11
Matt Kilroy 66 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Matt Kilroy 66 1886 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 66 1883 Providence Grays NL  
Toad Ramsey 66 1886 Louisville Colonels AA  
Pud Galvin 65 1879 Buffalo Bisons NL 16
Bill Hutchison 65 1890 Chicago Colts NL  
Jim McCormick 65 1882 Cleveland Blues NL  
Silver King 64 1888 St. Louis Browns AA 19
Tony Mullane 64 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings AA  
Mickey Welch 64 1880 Troy Trojans NL  
Will White 64 1883 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
George Bradley 63 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings NL 23
Charlie Buffinton 63 1884 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Jim McCormick 63 1884 Cleveland Blues NL  
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds UA
Ed Morris 63 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Ed Morris 63 1885 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Tim Keefe 62 1886 New York Giants NL 28
Mickey Welch 62 1884 New York Gothams NL  
Jim Devlin 61 1877 Louisville Grays NL 30
Toad Ramsey 61 1887 Louisville Colonels AA  
Jersey Bakely 60 1888 Cleveland Blues AA 32
Dupee Shaw 60 1884 Boston Unions UA  
Detroit Wolverines NL
Tommy Bond 59 1879 Boston Red Caps NL 34
John Coleman 59 1883 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Hardie Henderson 59 1885 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Jim McCormick 59 1879 Cleveland Blues NL  
Larry McKeon 59 1884 Indianapolis Blues AA  
Billy Taylor 59 1884 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
St. Louis Maroons UA
John Ward 59 1880 Providence Grays NL  
Tommy Bond 58 1877 Boston Red Caps NL 41
Amos Rusie 58 1892 New York Giants NL  
Bill Sweeney 58 1884 Baltimore Monumentals UA  
John Ward 58 1879 Providence Grays NL  
Will White 58 1880 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Tommy Bond 57 1878 Boston Red Caps NL 46
Larry Corcoran 57 1880 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Larry Corcoran 57 1884 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Terry Larkin 57 1879 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Jim McCormick 57 1881 Cleveland Blues NL  
Frank Mountain 57 1883 Columbus Colts AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 57 1886 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Lee Richmond 57 1880 Worcester Ruby Legs NL  
Ed Seward 57 1888 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Jim Whitney 57 1881 Boston Red Caps NL  
John Clarkson 56 1887 Chicago White Stockings NL 56
Hugh Daily 56 1884 Chicago Browns UA  
Washington Nationals UA
Bill Hutchison 56 1891 Chicago Colts NL  
Tim Keefe 56 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Terry Larkin 56 1878 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Amos Rusie 56 1890 New York Giants NL  
Mickey Welch 56 1886 New York Giants NL  
Lady Baldwin 55 1886 Detroit Wolverines NL 63
George Derby 55 1881 Detroit Wolverines NL  
Dave Foutz 55 1886 St. Louis Browns AA  
Matt Kilroy 55 1889 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Terry Larkin 55 1877 Hartford Dark Blues NL  
Bobby Mathews 55 1876 New York Mutuals NL  
Sadie McMahon 55 1890 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Philadelphia Athletics AA
Tony Mullane 55 1886 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Mickey Welch 55 1885 New York Giants NL  
Mark Baldwin 54 1890 Chicago Pirates PL 72
Mark Baldwin 54 1889 Columbus Colts AA  
Kid Gleason 54 1890 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Tim Keefe 54 1887 New York Giants NL  
Jack Lynch 54 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Ed Morris 54 1888 Pittsburgh Alleghenys NL  
Phenomenal Smith 54 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Adonis Terry 54 1884 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Jim Whitney 54 1883 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Ed Beatin 53 1890 Cleveland Spiders NL 81
George Bradley 53 1879 Troy Trojans NL  
Bob Caruthers 53 1885 St. Louis Browns AA  
John Clarkson 53 1888 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Sadie McMahon 53 1891 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Henry Porter 53 1885 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Henry Porter 53 1888 Kansas City Blues AA  
Al Spalding 53 1876 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Charlie Sweeney 53 1884 Providence Grays NL  
St. Louis Maroons UA
Gus Weyhing 53 1887 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Bob Barr 52 1890 Rochester Rochesters AA 91
Amos Rusie 52 1891 New York Giants NL  
Ed Seward 52 1887 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Will White 52 1878 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Will White 52 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Will White 52 1884 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Larry Corcoran 51 1883 Chicago White Stockings NL 97
Guy Hecker 51 1885 Louisville Colonels AA  
Tony Mullane 51 1882 Louisville Eclipse AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 51 1882 Providence Grays NL 100
Fleury Sullivan 51 1884 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Gus Weyhing 51 1891 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Current Through End of 2007 Regular Season


Amazing trivia alert: Cy Young is the all time career leader for complete games, yet the "Cyclone" does not appear on this chart of single season leaders for complete games.

Take a close look at the single season leaders for complete games chart. Did you notice that there are no active pitchers in the top one-hundred (100)? Why is it like that? Modern Major League pitchers throw far fewer complete games, e.g. once in every 24.5 (2003), 32.6 (2004), and 25.9 (2005) starts, respectively.

Did you know that Ford Frick made a list of unbeatable marks and included Cy Young's complete game career record in that list? Too easy? Did you know that in the decade of the 1970's, no pitcher who was the season leader threw less than eighteen (18) complete games. In the 21st century, no team has totaled more than sixteen (16) complete games in a season.
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