Tuesday Trivia: Oldest teams’ winningest pitchers
 

The Braves, Cubs, Pirates and Reds are the 4 oldest existing MLB teams, all having been formed in 1881 or earlier. Who is the all-time franchise winningest pitcher for each of the 4 teams?

As always, please guess rather than look up the answer.

Braves probably Spahn.

The Cubs is Charlie Root, and no Root did not see Ruth call a home run and then throw the next pitch anywhere near the strike zone.

I’ll guess Tony Mullane for the Reds

Correct! Warren Spahn's 356 wins with the Braves is the 3rd most of anyone for a single franchise behind Walter Johnson's 417 for the Nationals and Mathewson's 372 for the Giants, and is 26 more than the 330 Kid Nichols had for the Braves. I believe the Braves are the only franchise that had 2 players reach 300 wins.

Yes! Charlie Root's 201 wins is the most in Cubs franchise history, 13 more than 3 Finger Brown's 188.

Great guess! Tony Mullane's 163 wins for the Reds is the 2nd most in franchise history.

Just wild guesses, Eppa Rixey for the Reds and Vern Law for the Pirates. Rixey might have played for other teams than the Reds but I know Law was a Pirate lifer.

Nice work! Eppa Rixey's 179 wins is the most in Reds franchise history.

Vern Law is a fine guess, but is 40 away from the top spot.

Just looking for the Pirates top winning pitcher.

I believe the Pirates is Wilbur Cooper.

It most certainly is, Mr. Pirates fan! Wilbur Cooper's 202 wins is 8 more than Babe Adams or Sam Leever.

Well done everybody.

Cooper walked only 2.2 per 9 innings for his career (1917 to 1924 he finished in the NL’s Top 10 five times in fewest walks per nine innings) and also holds the franchise single-season record for ERA (1.87 in 1916).

According to his SABR biography: "He remains one of only two pitchers with more than 3,000 innings and an ERA under 3.00 who are not enshrined at Cooperstown. In one of his last letters he wrote: “I would die a happy man if they voted me into the Hall of Fame. But, if they don’t, I will understand.”"