It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistic.
On April 26, Blue Jays’ right-handed reliever Brayson Fisher won his ninth MLB game (in his 67th career appearance). It gave Brayson (temporarily) an MLB record that it he is very unlikely to keep (unless he chooses early retirement) … the most wins by a pitcher to go his entire MLB career with zero losses. As of this writing, the 25-year-old Fisher is in his second MLB season (2025-26, Blue Jays) and has a 9-0, 2.77 record (69 appearances, one start, 68 1/3 innings, 26 walks, 80 strikeouts.)
Side Note: Brayson is three wins short of the most consecutive wins (without a loss) to start an MLB career – shared by George “Hooks” Wiltse, Giants, May 20-September 15, 1904 and Clarence “Butch” Metzger, Giants, September 21, 1974 – August 1, 1976. Wiltse eventually went 139-90, 2.47 over 12 MLB seasons; Metzger went 18-9, 3.74, with 23 saves over five MLB seasons.
For those of you who like to know such things (probably just a few, but I am one of them) as soon as Fisher picks up an MLB loss, the record for wins in a zero-loss career will fall back to southpaw reliever Clay Rapada, who pitched in seven MLB seasons (2007-13 … Cubs, Tigers, Rangers, Orioles, Yankees, Indians) and went 8-0, 4.06 in 152 appearances (all in relief), with 93 innings of work (51 walks, 82 strikeouts). Rapada is the subject of this week’s Tuesday Trivia(l) Tidbit.
A Travelin’ Man … A Tribute to Perseverance … For The Love Of The Game
In fifteen professional seasons as a player, Rapada was:
- signed by eight MLB franchises
- played in the majors for six of them;
- played in the minors for 12 teams;
- played a season in the Arizona Fall League; and
- played a season in the Venezuelan Winter League
Rapada was originally signed by the Cubs in 2002 (as an undrafted free agent) out of Virginia State University. From 2002-2007, he worked his way up from low-A to Triple-A in the Cubs system – going a combined 21-17 (41 saves), 2.99, with 310 strikeouts and 125 walks in 315 2/3 innings. During that time, Rapada suited up for Cubs’ affiliates: the Boise Hawks; Lansing Lug Nuts; Daytona Cubs; Iowa Cubs; and West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (as well as for the Mesa Solar Sox in the 2006 Arizona Fall League, where he went 1-1, 3.07 in 16 relief appearances) . He was selected an All Star in both the Midwest League (Iowa Cubs) and Southern League (West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx).
Rapada’s time in the Cubs’ system included one MLB appearance- June 14, 2007 versus the Mariners – when he faced and retired just one batter (Raul Ibanez) on a lineout to RF.
The Old Switcheroo
In 2004, the Cubs suggested Clay Rapada switch to a sidearm delivery (which he had used occasionally in high school and college) and the switch played a role in charting his path to the big leagues.
In August of 2007, Rapada was traded to the Tigers (and added the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens to his resume). He was called up and got in his first game as a Tiger on September 9, again facing the Mariners’ Ibanez (who tagged him for a three-run homer) – coincidentally again facing just the one batter. (So, at this point in his MLB career, he had pitched in two games, faced just two batters – both times Raul Ibanez.) Rapada finished the 2007 season with an MLB line of 0-0, 10.13 in five appearances.
In 2008, Rapada split time between Mud Hens and the Tigers. For Detroit, he went 3-0, 4.22 in 25 games (21 1/3 innings, 15 strikeouts and 14 walks). He got his first MLB win on April 15, pitching 2/3 of an inning of scoreless relief versus the Twins. Rapada came in in the top of the eighth with one out, no one on base and the Tigers losing 4-3. He quickly retired the Twins’ number-three and number -four hitters (C Joe Mauer, groundout and 1B Justin Morneau, strikeout) to end the inning. The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the inning and closer Todd Jones saved the win for Rapada, who would end the season 3-0, 4.22 in 25 appearances (only 21 1/3 innings).
In 2009, Rapada spent most of his season at Toledo, getting in just three games for the Tigers. Side note: It was one game (1 1/3 innings) in April; one game (one inning) in May) and one game (one inning) in October – for an 0-0, 5.40 record. He was 4-2, 2.76, with five saves for Toledo.
In December of 2009, Rapada was traded to the Rangers. In 2010,he pitched for the Rangers-affiliated, Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks (1-2, 1.82, with two saves in 50 appearances), until an early September call up, during which he went 0-0, 4.00 in 13 games (nine innings), with five strikeouts and seven walks for the Rangers.
In 2011, Rapada was back on the move, released by the Rangers and signed by the Orioles in January. He was up and down (major/minors) for the Orioles and finished with a 2-0, with a 2-0, 6.06 record in 32 MLB appearances. At this point, his MLB record was 5-0, 5.13 in 78 appearances (52 2/3 innings, 44 strikeouts and 32 walks), but he was about to move forward into the best MLB season of his career. In fact, the only season in which he spent the entire campaign in the major leagues.
In in February of 2012, Rapada was released by the Orioles and signed by the Yankees, made the Opening Day roster and went on to a 3-0. 2.82 season (with an MLB career-high 70 MLB appearances, career-high 38 1/3 innings pitched and career-high 38 strikeouts, while walking just 17). Still, he found himself in the Yankees’ minor-league system in 2013, was released mid-season and signed with the Indians’ franchise in June. He got a September 2013 callup to Cleveland, where he went 0-0, 0.00 in four games (just two innings)
Although Rapada would pitch in the Angels, Mariners, Orioles and Giants minor-league systems between 2014 and 2018, he did not get another taste of the big leagues – ending with the previously noted career record of 8-0, 4.06. In 13 minor-league seasons, Rapada went 34-27, 2.96, with 60 saves in 497 appearances, with 592 2/3 innings pitched, 567 strikeouts and 223 walks. After retiring as a player, he went on to coach in the Giant’s system.
Bottom line, Rapada is still the only MLB pitcher to complete his career with at least eight wins and not a single loss on his stat sheet.
A Couple of Trivia(l) Diversions
The Other Side of the Coin – Career Losses for a Player with Zero Career Wins
The record for the most losses in a career by a pitcher without a single win is 16, and it belongs to Terry Felton. Unlike Clay Rapada (above), Felton pitched for just one MLB team in his MLB career. From 1979-1982, Felton went 0-16, 5.53 in 55 games (10 starts) for the Twins, pitching 138 1/3 innings, fanning 108 and walking 87. Felton also holds a share of the record the most losses in a season without a single win (13). In 1982, his final MLB season, Felton was 0-13, 4.99 in 48 games (six starts.) Hulon “Lefty” Stamps (1927 Memphis Red Sox, Negro National League) finished 0-13- 6.24 in 20 games/10 starts). In four Negro League seasons, Stamps compiled a 2-23, 5.87 record.
Back to Victory Lane – Most Wins Without a Loss in a Seasons
In 1938, Ray Brown of the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League II went 14-0, 1.88 in 20 games, 11 starts. (The Grays played a 54-game season.) Brown’s MLB career record was 119-46, 3.12 in 14 seasons (1931-33, 1935-45). He led his league in wins six times.
Just behind Brown is Tom Zachary of the 1929 Yankees (12-0, 2.48 in 26 games, 11 starts). Zachary’s MLB career record (19 seasons, 1918-36) was 186-191, 3.73 in 533 games, 408 starts.
Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; RedHawks Sidearm Relievers Excelling, April 13, 2010, The Oklahoman, by David Stanley Ford.
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P 1165
WITH 51 BB IN ONLY 93 IP, IT IS AMAZING THAT RAPADA DID NOT LOSE A GAME SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE. LUCK DOES PLAY A ROLE IN DETERMINING A PITCHERS W-L RECORD.