COMPLETE GAMES RECORDS

MLB Complete Games Records | Baseball Almanac

Major League Baseball complete games records — including career complete game records, most complete games by a rookie during a season, single season complete game records, and several other official complete game records set by Major League pitchers. Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"I don't think (Warren) Spahn (National League Complete Game Career Leader) will ever get into the (National Baseball) hall of fame, he'll never stop pitching." - Musial, Stan. Hall of Fame Player. Total Baseball. Total Sports Publishing. Thorn, John. Author. 30 March 2001. Page 188.

Complete Games Records

Career Complete Games Records

Most Complete Games
In A Career | Top 1,000
AL Walter Johnson Washington 531 531
NL Pud Galvin Buffalo 381 558
Pittsburgh 167
St. Louis 10
ML Cy Young Cleveland [NL] 346 749
St. Louis [NL] 72
Boston [AL] 283
Cleveland [AL] 48
Most Complete Games
In A Career | LHP
AL Eddie Plank Philadelphia 362 387
St. Louis 25
NL Warren Spahn Boston 142 382
Milwaukee 232
New York 5
San Francisco 3
ML Eddie Plank Philadelphia [AL] 362 410
St. Louis [FL] 23
St. Louis [AL] 25
Most Complete Games
In A Career | RHP
AL Walter Johnson Washington 531 531
NL Pud Galvin Buffalo 381 558
Pittsburgh 167
St. Louis 10
ML Cy Young Cleveland [NL] 346 749
St. Louis [NL] 72
Boston [AL] 283
Cleveland [AL] 48

Complete Games Records

Single Season Complete Games Records

Fewest Complete Games
League Leader | Full Season
AL Jose Berrios Minnesota 2 2018
Carlos Carrasco Cleveland 2018
Gerrit Cole New York 2021
Corey Kluber Cleveland 2018
Sean Manaea Oakland 2021
James Paxton Seattle 2018
NL Sandy Alcantara Miami 2 2019
Walker Buehler Los Angeles 2019
Zach Eflin Philadelphia 2019
Michael Foltynewicz Atlanta 2018
Carlos Martinez St. Louis 2017
Ivan Nova Pittsburgh 2017
Clayton Richard San Diego 2017
Max Scherzer Washington 2017
Max Scherzer Washington 2018
Noah Syndergaard New York 2018
Jameson Taillon Pittsburgh 2018
Most Complete Games
In A Season | Top 500
AL Jack Chesbro New York 48 1904
NL Will White Cincinnati 75 1879
Most Complete Games
In A Season | By A Rookie
AA Matt Kilroy Baltimore 66 1886
AL Roscoe Miller Detroit 35 1901
NL Jim Devlin Louisville 66 1876
Most Games Pitched
In A Season
With No Complete Games
AL Mike Marshall Minnesota 90 1979
NL Mike Marshall Los Angeles 106 1974
Most Seasons
Leading The League
In Complete Games
(Yearly Leaders)
AL Walter Johnson Washington 6 1910
Washington 1911
Washington 1913
Washington 1914
Washington 1915
Washington 1916
NL Warren Spahn Boston 9 1949
Boston 1951
Milwaukee 1957
Milwaukee 1958
Milwaukee 1959
Milwaukee 1960
Milwaukee 1961
Milwaukee 1962
Milwaukee 1963
Complete Game Records | Research by Baseball Almanac
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baseball almanac fast facts

The yearly leader for complete games in both the American League (1901-2024) and National League (1876-2024), are here on Baseball Almanac; as well as the top one-thousand all-time complete games pitched leaders and top five-hundred single season complete games pitched leaders!

Jack Taylor of the St. Louis Cardinals had a National League record (and overall Major League record) thirty-nine consecutive complete games in 1904 while Bill Dinneen of the Boston Americans had an American League record thirty-seven consecutive complete games — also in 1904.

Did you know that the longest / most innings pitched during one complete game by one pitcher is twenty-six? That record is held by two pitchers — Leon Cadore of Brooklyn & Joe Oeschger of Boston — who faced off against each other on May 1, 1920 both setting the record during a marathon 1-1 tie contest.