Single Season Leaders for Games Started

It's impossible to lead at any statistic if you are not given the opportunity to pitch. The following pitchers have been given those chances and they have proven their effectiveness to their managers. A fair chance at winning is what each of these single season games started leaders give their team when they step on the rubber at the beginning of the game.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League games started Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"Salaries must come down or the interest of the public must be increased in some way." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Al Spalding (#41 Ranked Single Season Games Started Leader)
Games Started
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Pud Galvin 75 1883 Buffalo Bisons NL 1
Will White 75 1879 Cincinnati Reds NL  
Jim McCormick 74 1880 Cleveland Blues NL 3
Guy Hecker 73 1884 Louisville Colonels AA 4
Old Hoss Radbourn 73 1884 Providence Grays NL  
John Clarkson 72 1889 Boston Beaneaters NL 6
Pud Galvin 72 1884 Buffalo Bisons NL  
John Clarkson 70 1885 Chicago White Stockings NL 8
Bill Hutchison 70 1892 Chicago Colts NL  
Matt Kilroy 69 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA 10
Jim Devlin 68 1876 Louisville Grays NL 11
Tim Keefe 68 1883 New York Metropolitans AA  
Matt Kilroy 68 1886 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 68 1883 Providence Grays NL  
Charlie Buffinton 67 1884 Boston Beaneaters NL 15
Jim McCormick 67 1882 Cleveland Blues NL  
Toad Ramsey 67 1886 Louisville Colonels AA  
John Ward 67 1880 Providence Grays NL  
Pud Galvin 66 1879 Buffalo Bisons NL 19
Bill Hutchison 66 1890 Chicago Colts NL  
Lee Richmond 66 1880 Worcester Ruby Legs NL  
Dupee Shaw 66 1884 Boston Unions UA  
Detroit Wolverines NL
Silver King 65 1888 St. Louis Browns AA 23
Jim McCormick 65 1884 Cleveland Blues NL  
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds UA
Tony Mullane 65 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings AA  
Mickey Welch 65 1884 New York Gothams NL  
Tommy Bond 64 1879 Boston Red Caps NL 27
George Bradley 64 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings NL  
Tim Keefe 64 1886 New York Giants NL  
Toad Ramsey 64 1887 Louisville Colonels AA  
Mickey Welch 64 1880 Troy Trojans NL  
Will White 64 1883 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Ed Morris 63 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA 33
Ed Morris 63 1885 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Amos Rusie 63 1890 New York Giants NL  
Jim Whitney 63 1881 Boston Red Caps NL  
Will White 62 1880 Cincinnati Reds NL 37
Jersey Bakely 61 1888 Cleveland Blues AA 38
John Coleman 61 1883 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Jim Devlin 61 1877 Louisville Grays NL  
Hardie Henderson 61 1885 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Amos Rusie 61 1892 New York Giants NL  
Larry Corcoran 60 1880 Chicago White Stockings NL 43
Jim McCormick 60 1879 Cleveland Blues NL  
Larry McKeon 60 1884 Indianapolis Blues AA  
Al Spalding 60 1876 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Bill Sweeney 60 1884 Baltimore Monumentals UA  
John Ward 60 1879 Providence Grays NL  
Mark Baldwin 59 1889 Columbus Colts AA 49
Tommy Bond 59 1878 Boston Red Caps NL  
John Clarkson 59 1887 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Larry Corcoran 59 1884 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Frank Mountain 59 1883 Columbus Colts AA  
Billy Taylor 59 1884 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
St. Louis Maroons UA
Mickey Welch 59 1886 New York Giants NL  
Tommy Bond 58 1877 Boston Red Caps NL 56
Hugh Daily 58 1884 Chicago Browns UA  
Washington Nationals UA
Bill Hutchison 58 1891 Chicago Colts NL  
Tim Keefe 58 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Terry Larkin 58 1879 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Jim McCormick 58 1881 Cleveland Blues NL  
Sadie McMahon 58 1891 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Old Hoss Radbourn 58 1886 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Mark Baldwin 57 1890 Chicago Pirates PL 64
Tommy Bond 57 1880 Boston Red Caps NL  
Dave Foutz 57 1886 St. Louis Browns AA  
Sadie McMahon 57 1890 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Philadelphia Athletics AA
Amos Rusie 57 1891 New York Giants NL  
Ed Seward 57 1888 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Lady Baldwin 56 1886 Detroit Wolverines NL 70
Tim Keefe 56 1887 New York Giants NL  
Matt Kilroy 56 1889 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Silver King 56 1890 Chicago Pirates PL  
Terry Larkin 56 1877 Hartford Dark Blues NL  
Terry Larkin 56 1878 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Bobby Mathews 56 1876 New York Mutuals NL  
Tony Mullane 56 1886 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Jack Stivetts 56 1891 St. Louis Browns AA  
Charlie Sweeney 56 1884 Providence Grays NL  
St. Louis Maroons UA
Jim Whitney 56 1883 Boston Beaneaters NL  
John Clarkson 55 1886 Chicago White Stockings NL 81
George Derby 55 1881 Detroit Wolverines NL  
Kid Gleason 55 1890 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Ed Morris 55 1888 Pittsburgh Alleghenys NL  
Tony Mullane 55 1882 Louisville Eclipse AA  
Phenomenal Smith 55 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Adonis Terry 55 1884 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Mickey Welch 55 1885 New York Giants NL  
Gus Weyhing 55 1887 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Bob Barr 54 1890 Rochester Rochesters AA 90
Ed Beatin 54 1890 Cleveland Spiders NL  
George Bradley 54 1879 Troy Trojans NL  
John Clarkson 54 1888 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Pud Galvin 54 1880 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Jack Lynch 54 1884 New York Metropolitans AA  
Harry McCormick 54 1879 Syracuse Stars NL  
Henry Porter 54 1885 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Henry Porter 54 1888 Kansas City Blues AA  
Will White 54 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Mark Baldwin 53 1892 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 100
Kid Carsey 53 1891 Washington Senators AA  
Bob Caruthers 53 1885 St. Louis Browns AA  
Larry Corcoran 53 1883 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Pud Galvin 53 1881 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Guy Hecker 53 1885 Louisville Colonels AA  
Silver King 53 1889 St. Louis Browns AA  
Gus Weyhing 53 1889 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
Current Through End of 2007 Regular Season


Take a close look at the chart — not a single player from the twentieth century appears in the top one-hundred (100) list. Why? Because the "average" starting modern pitcher only starts approximately thirty-two (32) games during a full season of play.

Trivia alert: Cy Young, who is the all time career games started leader with eight-hundred fifteen (815) Major League starts, does not appear in the top one-hundred single season leaders.

Baseball Almanac believes that this record is a perfect example of an unbeatable mark. Do you agree? Disagree? Take a moment, share your opinion, and tell us your thoughts on other unbeatable records on Baseball Fever.
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