1921
Born April 23, 1921
Buffalo, NY, USA
Warren Spahn Marquee Hall of Fame 1973
b. April 23, 1921 · Boston Braves 1942, 1946–1952, Milwaukee Braves 1953–1964, New York Mets 1965, San Francisco Giants 1965
He pitched four games for the Boston Braves in 1942, went into the Army, and did not appear again until 1946. He fought in Europe, at the Battle of the Bulge and at the Remagen bridge, and came home decorated. His career effectively started at 25, which is what makes the rest of it strange.
He then won 20 games or more in thirteen seasons and led the National League in wins eight times, the last five consecutively from 1957 through 1961. At 42 he went 23-7 with seven shutouts. His Cy Young Award came in 1957, when a single award covered both leagues.
No left-hander has won more; Steve Carlton, next on the list, is 34 behind. He also threw 63 shutouts and 382 complete games and made 14 All-Star teams. He lost 1943, 1944, and 1945 entirely, at 22, 23, and 24, and still finished fifth in career wins.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 14 | 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 5 | 1953, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 |
| The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year | 4 | 1953, 1957, 1958, 1961 |
| Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3 | 1947, 1949, 1950 |
| Cy Young Award | 1 | 1957 |
| Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | 1 | 1961 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | BSN | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .167 |
| 1946 | BSN | 24 | 43 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 0 | .163 |
| 1947 | BSN | 41 | 98 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 0 | .163 |
| 1948 | BSN | 37 | 90 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 0 | .167 |
| 1949 | BSN | 40 | 111 | 11 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 27 | 1 | .162 |
| 1950 | BSN | 41 | 106 | 7 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 33 | 1 | .217 |
| 1951 | BSN | 42 | 116 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 27 | 0 | .190 |
| 1952 | BSN | 52 | 112 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 23 | 1 | .161 |
| 1953 | MLN | 38 | 105 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 22 | 0 | .219 |
| 1954 | MLN | 41 | 101 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 0 | .208 |
| 1955 | MLN | 40 | 81 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 0 | .210 |
| 1956 | MLN | 39 | 105 | 8 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 1 | .210 |
| 1957 | MLN | 39 | 94 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 0 | .138 |
| 1958 | MLN | 41 | 108 | 10 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 0 | .333 |
| 1959 | MLN | 40 | 104 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 0 | .231 |
| 1960 | MLN | 40 | 95 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 0 | .147 |
| 1961 | MLN | 39 | 94 | 13 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 33 | 0 | .223 |
| 1962 | MLN | 36 | 98 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 0 | .184 |
| 1963 | MLN | 33 | 90 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 0 | .178 |
| 1964 | MLN | 39 | 59 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .186 |
| 1965 | NYM/SFG | 37 | 56 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 0 | .125 |
| Career | — | 783 | 1872 | 141 | 363 | 57 | 6 | 35 | 189 | 94 | 487 | 4 | .194 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | BSN | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15.2 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 5.74 |
| 1946 | BSN | 8 | 5 | 24 | 16 | 1 | 125.2 | 107 | 41 | 36 | 67 | 2.94 |
| 1947 | BSN | 21 | 10 | 40 | 35 | 3 | 289.2 | 245 | 75 | 84 | 123 | 2.33 |
| 1948 | BSN | 15 | 12 | 36 | 35 | 1 | 257.0 | 237 | 106 | 77 | 114 | 3.71 |
| 1949 | BSN | 21 | 14 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 302.1 | 283 | 103 | 86 | 151 | 3.07 |
| 1950 | BSN | 21 | 17 | 41 | 39 | 1 | 293.0 | 248 | 103 | 111 | 191 | 3.16 |
| 1951 | BSN | 22 | 14 | 39 | 36 | 0 | 310.2 | 278 | 103 | 109 | 164 | 2.98 |
| 1952 | BSN | 14 | 19 | 40 | 35 | 3 | 290.0 | 263 | 96 | 73 | 183 | 2.98 |
| 1953 | MLN | 23 | 7 | 35 | 32 | 3 | 265.2 | 211 | 62 | 70 | 148 | 2.10 |
| 1954 | MLN | 21 | 12 | 39 | 34 | 3 | 283.1 | 262 | 99 | 86 | 136 | 3.14 |
| 1955 | MLN | 17 | 14 | 39 | 32 | 1 | 245.2 | 249 | 89 | 65 | 110 | 3.26 |
| 1956 | MLN | 20 | 11 | 39 | 35 | 3 | 281.1 | 249 | 87 | 52 | 128 | 2.78 |
| 1957 | MLN | 21 | 11 | 39 | 35 | 3 | 271.0 | 241 | 81 | 78 | 111 | 2.69 |
| 1958 | MLN | 22 | 11 | 38 | 36 | 1 | 290.0 | 257 | 99 | 76 | 150 | 3.07 |
| 1959 | MLN | 21 | 15 | 40 | 36 | 0 | 292.0 | 282 | 96 | 70 | 143 | 2.96 |
| 1960 | MLN | 21 | 10 | 40 | 33 | 2 | 267.2 | 254 | 104 | 74 | 154 | 3.50 |
| 1961 | MLN | 21 | 13 | 38 | 34 | 0 | 262.2 | 236 | 88 | 64 | 115 | 3.02 |
| 1962 | MLN | 18 | 14 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 269.1 | 248 | 91 | 55 | 118 | 3.04 |
| 1963 | MLN | 23 | 7 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 259.2 | 241 | 75 | 49 | 102 | 2.60 |
| 1964 | MLN | 6 | 13 | 38 | 25 | 4 | 173.2 | 204 | 102 | 52 | 78 | 5.29 |
| 1965 | NYM/SFG | 7 | 16 | 36 | 30 | 0 | 197.2 | 210 | 88 | 56 | 90 | 4.01 |
| Career | — | 363 | 245 | 750 | 665 | 29 | 5243.2 | 4830 | 1798 | 1434 | 2583 | 3.09 |
On this day & linked events
2003
Died November 24, 2003
1942
Major-league debut: Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn made a major-league debut on April 19, 1942.
1960
Warren Spahn's No-Hitter
Warren Spahn threw a no-hitter for the Milwaukee Braves against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 1960, winning 4–0.
1961
Warren Spahn's No-Hitter
Warren Spahn threw a no-hitter for the Milwaukee Braves against the San Francisco Giants on April 28, 1961, winning 1–0.
1965
Final major-league game: Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn played a final major-league game on October 1, 1965.
Image: Vern_Bickford,_Johnny_Sain,_Warren_Spahn.png, public domain