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 statistics.
Photo: KG Graphics via tradingcarddb.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
This week, we’re looking at the 300-inning season, starting with the question “Who was the last pitcher to throw 300 or more innings in a single season?” That would be Steve Carlton of the Phillies, way back in 1980, when he went 24-9, 2.34 (with 13 complete games in 38 starts and 304 innings pitched).
Well, as usual, one thing led to another and I took a deeper look a season of 300 or more innings pitched. There have been 864 such seasons, with 486 in the 28 seasons from 1872-99 and 378 in the 126 completed seasons since 1900 (the Modern Era). Going a little deeper, there have been 120 such campaigns in the Live Ball Era (the 106 seasons since 1920) and, of course, zero since Steve Carlton in 1980.
I kept looking into 300-innings-pitched seasons by era. (Side note here: The most innings pitched in any MLB season, per stathead.com, is 680 by Will White of the 1879 Reds. How different was the game back then? White started 75 of the 81 games the Reds played – and completed every start. That season, in fact, six pitchers worked more than 500 innings and the eight National League teams used a total of 25 pitchers. (You can see why I chose to look at innings pitched stats by era.)
No pitcher has thrown more 300-innings-pitched seasons than Cy Young, with 16. No one threw more such seasons in the Modern Era than Christy Mathewson (11) and the record for most 300-innings-pitched seasons tossed in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) is six, shared by Robin Roberts and Gaylord Perry.
Photo: Charles M. Conlon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cy Young threw 300 or more innings in 16 of his 22 MLB seasons (1890-1911), topping 400 innings in five seasons. He threw his final 300-inning-pitch season in his age-40 campaign (going 21-15, 1.99 for the 1907 Red Sox). That season, he made 43 appearances – and completed 33 of 37 starts. He finished his career at 511-315, 2.63 and holds the MLB records for wins, losses, starts (815), complete games (749), innings pitched (7,356). Note: Pud Galvin is second on the all-time innings pitched list 1,353 2/3 innings behind Young.)
A sign of the times: Despite all those innings, Young only led the league in inning pitched twice in his career.
Photo: Paul Thompson, photographer., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Christy Mathewson holds the Modern Era (since -1900) record for seasons of 300 or more innings pitched with 11. Mathewson pitched in 17 MLB seasons (1900-1916), going 373-188, 2.13. He made 636 appearances and completed 435 of 552 starts (4,788 2/3 career innings). He led the league in inning pitched just once in his career. Young had his first 300-inning season in his age-20 season (1901) and his final 300-inning season in his age-33 campaign (1914).
Photo: Manny’s Baseball Land via tradingcarddb.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common
Robin Roberts shares the Live Ball (since 1920) Era record for 300-innings-pitched seasons at six. He ran off a starting of six consecutive seasons of 300+ innings from 1950 through 1955; leading the National League (and MLB) in Innings pitched each season from 1951 through 1955. During his streak of 300-innings-pitched seasons, Roberts also led the NL in wins four times, starts six times and complete games four times. During the streak, he completed 161 of 232 starts.
Roberts pitched in 19 MLB seasons (1948-66), going 286-245, 3.41 with 676 appearances and 305 complete in 609 starts. The seven-time All Star pitched a total of 4,688 2/3 MLB innings.
Photo: Jay Publishing via tradingcarddb.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Gaylord Perry also recorded four seasons of 300 or more innings pitched. His came during a seven-season span (from 1969 through 1975). He led the major leagues in innings pitched in 1969 and 1970; led the AL in complete games in 1972; led MLB in CG in 1973; topped MLB in wins 1970; and led the AL in victories in 1972.
Perry pitched in 22 MLB seasons (1962-83). A five-time All Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner, he finished with a career line of 314-265, 3.11 in 777 appearances, with 303 complete games in 690 starts and 5,350 total innings pitched.
Primary Resource: Stathead.com
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