Most Wins by a Pitcher in a Season: Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through October 9, 2026

This board follows the record MLB adopted in 2024, when the statistics of the seven recognised Negro Leagues (1920–1948) became part of the official record. Because a Negro Leagues season ran roughly 69 games to the American and National Leagues’ 149, the career qualification is prorated from 3,000 at-bats to 1,389 for careers played mainly in those leagues, and from 400 plate appearances to 185 for a single Negro Leagues season. The all-time AL & NL board uses the traditional 3,000-at-bat rule and excludes Negro Leagues records.

As of October 9, 2026, the single-season leader in Wins is Old Hoss Radbourn (1884) with 60. Al Spalding (1875) is second with 54 and John Clarkson (1885) is third with 53. This page ranks the top 100 seasons in Wins.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.

Data updated

Old Hoss Radbourn holds the MLB single-season wins record with 60 wins in 1884, ahead of Al Spalding (54 in 1875) and John Clarkson (53 in 1885).

Rankings cover the top 100 seasons in MLB history.

Top 10 W

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Most Wins by a Pitcher in a Season: Leaders & Records (AL/NL + Negro Leagues Combined)
Rank Player Year Team W
1 Old Hoss Radbourn 1884 PRO 60
2 Al Spalding 1875 BS1 54
3 John Clarkson 1885 CHN 53
T-4 Guy Hecker 1884 LS2 52
T-4 Al Spalding 1874 BS1 52
6 John Clarkson 1889 BSN 49
T-7 Charlie Buffinton 1884 BSN 48
T-7 Old Hoss Radbourn 1883 PRO 48
T-9 Al Spalding 1876 CHN 47
T-9 John Ward 1879 PRO 47
T-11 Pud Galvin 1883 BFN 46
T-11 Pud Galvin 1884 BFN 46
T-11 Matt Kilroy 1887 BL2 46
T-14 George Bradley 1876 SL3 45
T-14 Silver King 1888 SL4 45
T-14 Jim McCormick 1880 CL2 45
T-17 Bill Hutchison 1891 CHN 44
T-17 Dick McBride 1875 PH1 44
T-17 Mickey Welch 1885 NY1 44
T-20 Tommy Bond 1879 BSN 43
T-20 Larry Corcoran 1880 CHN 43
T-20 Billy Taylor 1884 2 teams 43
T-20 Will White 1879 CN1 43
T-20 Will White 1883 CN2 43
T-25 Lady Baldwin 1886 DTN 42
T-25 Tim Keefe 1886 NY1 42
T-25 Bobby Mathews 1874 NY2 42
T-28 Jack Chesbro 1904 NYA 41
T-28 Dave Foutz 1886 SL4 41
T-28 Bill Hutchison 1890 CHN 41
T-28 Tim Keefe 1883 NY4 41
T-28 Ed Morris 1886 PT1 41
T-28 Al Spalding 1873 BS1 41
T-28 Charlie Sweeney 1884 2 teams 41
T-35 Tommy Bond 1877 BSN 40
T-35 Tommy Bond 1878 BSN 40
T-35 Bob Caruthers 1885 SL4 40
T-35 Bob Caruthers 1889 BR3 40
T-35 Jim McCormick 1884 2 teams 40
T-35 Bill Sweeney 1884 BLU 40
T-35 Ed Walsh 1908 CHA 40
T-35 Will White 1882 CN2 40
T-43 Ed Morris 1885 PT1 39
T-43 John Ward 1880 PRO 39
T-43 Mickey Welch 1884 NY1 39
T-46 John Clarkson 1887 CHN 38
T-46 Kid Gleason 1890 PHI 38
T-46 Toad Ramsey 1886 LS2 38
T-46 Al Spalding 1872 BS1 38
T-50 Pud Galvin 1879 BFN 37
T-50 Tim Keefe 1884 NY4 37
T-50 Jack Lynch 1884 NY4 37
T-50 Christy Mathewson 1908 NY1 37
T-50 Toad Ramsey 1887 LS2 37
T-50 Jim Whitney 1883 BSN 37
T-56 John Clarkson 1886 CHN 36
T-56 Bill Hutchison 1892 CHN 36
T-56 Walter Johnson 1913 WS1 36
T-56 Frank Killen 1893 PIT 36
T-56 Jim McCormick 1882 CL2 36
T-56 Sadie McMahon 1890 2 teams 36
T-56 Tony Mullane 1884 TL1 36
T-56 Amos Rusie 1894 NY1 36
T-56 Cy Young 1892 CL4 36
T-56 George Zettlein 1873 PH2 36
T-66 Larry Corcoran 1884 CHN 35
T-66 Candy Cummings 1875 HR1 35
T-66 Jim Devlin 1877 LS1 35
T-66 Tim Keefe 1887 NY1 35
T-66 Tim Keefe 1888 NY1 35
T-66 Silver King 1889 SL4 35
T-66 Joe McGinnity 1904 NY1 35
T-66 Sadie McMahon 1891 BL3 35
T-66 Tony Mullane 1883 SL4 35
T-66 Kid Nichols 1892 BSN 35
T-66 Ed Seward 1888 PH4 35
T-66 Jack Stivetts 1892 BSN 35
T-66 Cy Young 1895 CL4 35
T-79 Larry Corcoran 1883 CHN 34
T-79 George Haddock 1891 BS2 34
T-79 Ed Morris 1884 CL5 34
T-79 Kid Nichols 1893 BSN 34
T-79 Elmer Smith 1887 CN2 34
T-79 Scott Stratton 1890 LS2 34
T-79 Mickey Welch 1880 TRN 34
T-79 Will White 1884 CN2 34
T-79 Smoky Joe Wood 1912 BOS 34
T-88 Pete Alexander 1916 PHI 33
T-88 Mark Baldwin 1890 CHP 33
T-88 George Bradley 1875 SL2 33
T-88 John Clarkson 1888 BSN 33
T-88 John Clarkson 1891 BSN 33
T-88 Candy Cummings 1872 NY2 33
T-88 Dave Foutz 1885 SL4 33
T-88 Walter Johnson 1912 WS1 33
T-88 Christy Mathewson 1904 NY1 33
T-88 Dick McBride 1874 PH1 33
T-88 Jouett Meekin 1894 NY1 33
T-88 Tony Mullane 1886 CN2 33
T-88 Henry Porter 1885 BR3 33

Reading the single-season Wins board (combined view)

The final row on this board, rank T-88, is held at 33. Every decade from the 1870s to the 1910s appears in the era filter; the 1880s appear most often. The top ten leans toward the 1880s. Some names recur: Al Spalding (1875, 1874, 1876, 1873, and 1872), John Clarkson (1885, 1889, 1887, 1886, and 1888), and Pud Galvin (1883, 1884, and 1879). The team code seen most often in the Team column is BSN. The largest tie on the board is at T-66, where Larry Corcoran, Candy Cummings, Jim Devlin, and Tim Keefe and others share 35. Old Hoss Radbourn leads at 60 in 1884. Second place belongs to Al Spalding, at 54 (1875). No Negro Leagues entry reaches this board even with the prorated qualification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the most wins in a season?
Old Hoss Radbourn — 60 wins in 1884. Next are Al Spalding (54 in 1875) and John Clarkson (53 in 1885).
How many games did Old Hoss Radbourn win in 1884?
Old Hoss Radbourn recorded 60 wins for PRO in 1884 — the highest mark on this leaderboard.
Who else ranks in the top 5 for wins in a season?
1. Old Hoss Radbourn (60 in 1884); 2. Al Spalding (54 in 1875); 3. John Clarkson (53 in 1885); 4. Guy Hecker (52 in 1884); 5. Al Spalding (52 in 1874).
How many seasons are ranked on this leaderboard?
This page lists the top 100 seasons by wins in a season, from Old Hoss Radbourn at 60 down to Henry Porter at 33.