Jake Arrieta

This season two pitchers won 20 games in major league baseball: Jake Arrieta with the Cubs and Dallas Keuchel of the Astros. Ironically both of these pitchers won their respective league’s Cy Young Award. The two 20-game winners in the majors this past season were the fewest since only one in 2013 and none in 2009.

If we plot out the numbers of 20-game winners in each of the preceding decades going back to 1960, we discover that there has been a slow decline in pitchers who reach this milestone. In the 60’s there were 73 20-game winners; in the 70’s there were 96. In the 80’s that number dropped drastically to only 37; in the last two decades, the 90’s and the 2000’s, both of those decades saw 34 pitchers reach the 20-win mark. So far in this decade there have been only 16 pitchers who won 20 games, a average of 2.7 per year. If those numbers remain constant and play out to the end of this decade it would be the fewest number of 20-game winners in a decade.

Eight teams have not had a 20-game winner this decade. The Padres have the longest drought; the last 20-game winner in that franchise was Gaylord Perry in 1978.

Here’s a look at the eight MLB teams that have not had a 20-game winner this century.

Team, last 20-game winner (pitcher)
San Diego, 1978 (Gaylord Perry)
Baltimore, 1984 (Mike Boddicker)
Milwaukee, 1986 (Teddy Higuera)
Kansas City, 1989 (Bret Saberhagen)
Pittsburgh, 1991 (John Smiley)
Colorado, have never had a 20-game winner (first year of the franchise was 1993)
San Francisco, 1993 (Bill Swift/John Burkett)
Texas, 1998 (Rick Helling)

There has not been a team with back-to-back 20-game winners in the majors since 2005 (either the same pitcher or two different pitchers). In 2005 Houston’s Roy Oswalt won 20 games after winning 20 in 2004. It is not only the last time a team had back-to-back 20-game winners but also the last time any individual pitcher won 20 games in back-to-back seasons.

Seven teams have never had back-to-back 20-game winners in their franchise history: In the A.L., Seattle, Tampa Bay and Texas; in the N.L., Colorado, Florida, Milwaukee and Washington.

Here’s a look at the last time the other 23 franchises had 20-game winners in consecutive years (either the same pitcher or different pitchers).

Houston, 2004-05
Arizona, 2001-02
Oakland, 2001-02
St. Louis, 2000-01
Atlanta, 1997-98
Toronto, 1997-98
Chicago White Sox, 1992-93
Pittsburgh, 1990-91
Kansas City, 1988-89
Boston, 1986-87
Baltimore, 1979-80
N.Y. Yankees, 1979-80
L.A. Dodgers, 1976-77
Philadelphia, 1976-77
N.Y. Mets, 1975-76
San Diego, 1975-76
L.A. Angels, 1973-74
Detroit, 1972-73
Chicago Cubs, 1971-72
Minnesota, 1969-70
San Francisco, 1969-70
Cincinnati, 1962-63
Cleveland 1953-54

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