Interesting Trivia Question

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Posted By: Jay

What post 1900 team has had the highest career win total by a starting pitching staff. The reason I thought of this question is I was wondering if the current Yankee team with Clemens, Mussina and Petitte had the record. Can anyone think of a team that had more? BTW, Cy Young's Indians did not.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Boy, that's a tough one. First you have to know the staff, then you have to add up all their wins. In other words, I have no idea.

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Posted By: Marc S.

the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies. I think the seven pitchers that rotated in their staff had to have something close to 900 - 1,000 wins.

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Posted By: ramram

Rob M.

Edited to say: Oops! I guess I should read it more thoroughly....career wins...

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Posted By: Jason L

How about the 1984 Houston Astros?
Ryan, Joe Niekro, Bob Knepper, Mike Scott

Just another way to say what Barry said!

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Posted By: Chris Counts

The Indians staff from the 50s has to be right up there ... Bob Feller, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia ... have a career total of 915 wins. If you throw in Steve Gromek as a starter on the 1950 team, you get a five-man rotation with career win total of 1,038 ...

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I just checked the '84 Astros ... their big four of Ryan, Knepper, Scott and Niekro totalled 815 wins. If you throw in Mike LaCoss as a fifth starter, you get 913 wins ...

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Posted By: Rich Klein

Seaver; Ryan and Koosman to go along with others such as Cardwell and McGraw give you a bunch of wins

Rich

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Posted By: Jay

The question was career wins at that point in their career, not at the end of their career. However, the 1926 Senators with Johnson, Coveleski, Bush and Reuther tops the Yankees.

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Posted By: Scott Sarian

I know the '66 Dodgers had four starters in the World Series who all had high career win totals - in fact, Koufax had the fewest of the four, I believe.

I'll do the math on this on and see if this works out to be more than the current Yankees....

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Posted By: Scott Sarian

Koufax (165), Don Sutton (324), Drysdale (209) and Claude Osteen (196) only add up to 894 wins, and since the question was asking at the time of starting, I guess this wouldn't be right anyways.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I just checked the '98 Braves, and the five-man rotation of Greg Maddox, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Kevin Milwood and Denny Neagle combine for 1,113 career wins. All five won at least 17 ...

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Posted By: Phil Garry

How about the early 1900's Giants teams with Mathewson, McGinnity, etc.?

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Okay, this is my last try ... the '03 Yankees ... with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, David Wells, Mike Mussina and Jeff Weaver combine for 1,135 ...

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Posted By: jay wolt

How 'bout any team that Cy Young pitched for?
His 511 wins is a helluva start

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

71 Mets

Seaver 311
Ryan 324
Koosman 222
Matlack 125
Sadecki 135
Gentry 46

TOTAL 1163 Subtract Gentry and it still beats the Braves' total (as of today).

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Posted By: Jay

Perhaps I was not clear. I was looking at aggregate career wins at that point in the pitchers' careers, not at the end of their careers. Thus, the 1969 Mets career wins would be Seaver's total career wins through 1969 plus Ryan's career wind through 1969, etc.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

Anyhow, if we limit it to 4 starters (normal rotation), then consider the following for starters (pun)....

1904 Boston (AL)....CYoung, Dineen, J. Tannehill and Gibson = 911

1949 Cleveland......Feller, Garcia, Lemon and Wynn = 915

If you are talking more than the usual 4 starters, than the sky is the limit.

TED Z

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Posted By: ps

The question is clear people just aren't reading what you said.
How about the 03 Braves which still had Smoltz Glavine and Maddux at age 35-36, plus Kevin Millwood who had won a bunch of games by then?

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Posted By: Jay

Thanks Peter--I was starting to think I was losing it. The 2003 Braves don't work since Glavine was already gone. The 2002 Braves don't work since the big three only had 678 wins. Like I said though, the 1926 Senators were quite a bit ahead of the 2007 Yankees.

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Posted By: ps

Weren't Carlton and Niekro both on Cleveland briefly at the end of their careers?

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Posted By: Jay

Peter--Yes, both at the butt end of their careers. Unfortunately, no other starter had any total to speak of.

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

I suspect you'll have alot of guys at the "butt end of their careers" if the parameters of your question are to be met. Heck, Carlton and Joe Niekro both pitched for the '87 Twins, who also had 287 game winner Bert Blyeleven. While it's your question, I like how others have taken it to a different level also. Gives me a chance to pay homage to the 1970 Twins staff, which, although not the winner of the contest here, did combine for 1014 career wins out of four starters:
Blyleven=287
Kaat=283
Tiant=229
Perry=215

Straining abit (OK, alot), the '87 Twins staff boasted 1013 out of 4 pitchers
Carlton=329
Blyleven=287
Niekro=221
Viola=176

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Posted By: ps

how about the 80 yankees

tommy john well into his career
tiant near the end
gaylord perry near the end
kaat (well he was on the team for a bit) at the very end

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Posted By: Jay

Peter--Excellent call. Between Katt, Perry, Tiant and John they had exactly 1000 wins(and they also had Guidry).

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Posted By: Anonymous

I don't think Jim Kaat was in the Yankee rotation or even a starter at all by 1980.

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Posted By: peter chao

If Jay's talking about career wins, then I would think it is more likely that it would be a five-man rotation that would hold the record. It would also have to be a five-man rotation that was composed of veterans. Hmm...Jay do you know the answer to this trivia question? I'm stumped.

Peter C.