o/t amazing statistic

[Peter_Spaeth]

On the day he turned 30, Randy Johnson had 64 wins.

[calvindog]

Amazing that he won more games after age 40 than he did before age 30. That has got to be a first, right?

[slidekellyslide]

Dazzy Vance won 197 games after the age of 31. He had 0 wins before that.

[Jay Wolt]

Didn't Spahn also get a ton of wins after age 30?
Believe he had military service and minor leagues that slowed him down

[Peter_Spaeth]

Jay I just looked it up. Spahn won an amazing 277 games after age 30 -- more than Johnson!

[Rob D.]

Watching Randy Johnson in his prime, it was obvious why his physical attributes made him so dominant. But I wonder how many fans who watched him really understood how incredibly scary -- really and truly scary -- it was to bat against him (especially if you were a left-hander hitter, obviously).

At the final tryouts for the 1984 Olympic team, I had to hit against him on an overcast, dreary fall day in Louisville. It had rained on and off all night, and the field was pretty muddy. Knowing how hard it was to get solid footing in the batter's box, I figured it was just as tough on the mound. I think the season before at USC, Johnson had walked almost as many as he struck out. Add all that together, and the fact he was throwing in the mid-90s -- and the fact I'm left-handed ... That experience was unlike anything I would ever face on a baseball field. I mean, there's just nothing you can compare to facing a guy who's 6 feet 10 and throwing that hard, never mind that you're not sure he knows where it's going.

Years later when I talked to guys in the majors who faced him -- successful big-league hitters -- and they admitted they were as scared as I was that day, I felt somewhat better. Hitters never want to acknowledge that they're intimidated by any pitcher, but in Johnson's case, it was almost foolish to try to deny it.

[sox1903wschamp]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Amazing that he won more games after age 40 than he did before age 30. That has got to be a first, right?

Absolutely, and sarcasm seems to be a delicious delicacy tonight.

[mojorob]

Phil Niekro only had something like 30 wins by the time he was 30 years old.
Finished up with 318.

[barrysloate]

Niekro had 191 wins at age 40, and still finished with 318.

[zork1974]

To me, Johnson is one of the greatest of all time. I can't imagine what his stats would have looked like if he honed his control earlier in his career.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Niekro had 191 wins at age 40, and still finished with 318.

Is his 127 wins after the age of 40 the alltime record?

[barrysloate]

Yes, I believe Niekro holds that record. As a knucklehead...I mean knuckleballer, he was able to pitch forever.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Who holds the record for most wins BEFORE age 30?

[barrysloate]

Cy Young? Purely a guess.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Cy Young? Purely a guess.

Here's the list for most wins after age 30 (coming into this season, and Moyer and Johnson are still going).

For age 30 and older pitchers the numbers are:


WINS W
1 Cy Young 316
2 Phil Niekro 287
3 Warren Spahn 277
4 Gaylord Perry 238
5 Randy Johnson 227
6 Early Wynn 217
T7 Grover C Alexander 213
T7 Lefty Grove 213
9 Jamie Moyer 212
10 Greg Maddux 205
__________________

Cy had a lot of wins on both sides of that age.

[kkkkandp]

Although 40 years of age is really pushing it for the 3000+ hitters, there are a few who have picked up a decent portion of their totals after that birthday:

Rose 699 of 4256 16%
Yaz 410 of 3419 12%
Anson 822 of 3418 24%
Wagner 479 of 3415 14%
Winfield 413 of 3110 13%

[paul]

I would guess that Amos Rusie would rank pretty high for wins before age 30.

[phlflyer1]

As much as he drives me nuts watching him pitch, Jamie Moyer has had a lot of late career success as well.

34 wins before the age of 30 and 92 wins (at the present time) since turning the age of 40.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I believe in the modern era Catfish Hunter had the most wins before age 30.