Since 1900, there have been 11 instances of a pitcher having 20 wins and 20 losses in the same season. Nine of those occurred before 1916. In the early days of baseball, starting rotations were not as big as they are today, so pitchers made many more appearances per year. In 1904, 10 men started 40 games or more, including the Giants Jack Chesbro, who started a record 55. In 2000, no pitcher made 40 starts. In fact, no one has started 40 contests since 1987, when knuckleballer Charlie Hough did it for the Rangers. (Knucklers are generally able to throw more innings than their fastballing fellows because of their easy delivery.) Phil Niekro and Wilbur Wood, the two men to win and lose 20 since 1916, were both knuckleheads by trade. Here is the complete list, along with the pitcher’s record and year:
1901 – Joe McGinnity: 26-20
1902 – Bill Dineen: 21-21
1902 – Vic Willis: 27-20
1903 – Joe McGinnity: 31-20
1905 – George Mullin: 21-20
1905 – Irv Young: 20-21
1907 – George Mullin: 20-21
1913 – Jim Scott: 20-20
1916 – Walter Johnson: 25-20
1973 – Wilbur Wood: 24-20
1979 – Phil Niekro: 21-20
