Major League Baseball recognizes the player or players in each league with the most wins each season. In baseball, wins are a statistic used to evaluate pitchers. Credit for a win is given by the official scorer to the pitcher whose team takes and maintains the lead while he is the pitcher of record. If a game is tied or if the lead changes to the other team, all pitchers who have participated and exited the game to that point are unable to receive credit for the victory. A starting pitcher is ineligible for the win unless he pitches at least five innings; if he doesn't, but nevertheless leaves his team with a lead that it never relinquishes (a rather uncommon combination), the scorer awards the victory to the relief pitcher who was "most effective... in the official scorer's judgment".

History The National League's first win champion was Albert Spalding, who led the senior circuit with 47 wins after leading the semi-professional National Association in each of its five seasons. Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young led the American League in wins in each of its first three years (1901–1903), amassing 33, 32, and 28 victories in those seasons for the Boston Americans. Warren Spahn leads all players with 8 win championships in his 21 seasons for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves.

Six titles

Three players have led their league in wins six times during their careers. Grover Cleveland Alexander led the National League in victories six times, with a single-season career-high 33 wins in 1916. In the American League, two pitchers have accomplished the same feat: Walter Johnson, whose 36 wins in 1913—his first season leading the league—were a single-season career high, and Bob Feller.

Five and four titles In addition to his three American League wins, Young also led the National League twice (1892, 1895) to amass the third-highest total of win championships in major league history. Joe McGinnity and Tom Glavine also captured five wins titles in the National League. Pitchers who have led their league four times include Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Christy Mathewson, Hal Newhouser, and Robin Roberts.

Most wins in a Major League season

Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn holds the single-season record for the most games won in a major league season; he notched 59 victories in 1884. There is a discrepancy in Radbourn's victory total in 1884. The classic MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia, as well as other sources, credit Radbourn with 60 wins (against 12 losses), while other sources place his win total as high as 62. He and John Clarkson (53 wins in 1885) are the only pitchers to exceed 50 wins in a single season in the current major leagues; Guy Hecker also accomplished the feat in the American Association. The American League leader is Jack Chesbro, who won 41 games for the New York Highlanders in 1904; his total is the highest since 1901. The highest total in the National League since 1901 is Mathewson's 37 victories in 1908. The largest margin of victory for the title is 21 wins, achieved by Clarkson in 1889; he won 49 games, while his closest competitors (Charlie Buffinton and Tim Keefe) won 28 each. The American League title's largest margin of victory is 16 wins: Ed Walsh notched 40 wins in 1908, followed by Addie Joss and Ed Summers with 24 victories.

The number of wins required to lead the league each season has gone down significantly over the last century. For example, from 1900 to 1920, the average number of wins for the AL league leader was 30.8, while from 2004 to 2024 (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season), it was 19.8.

Ties Ties for the win championship are common. The most recent tie in the American League was in 2023, when Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin tied for the lead with 16 wins each, and the most recent tie in the National League was in 2018, when Jon Lester, Miles Mikolas and Max Scherzer tied with 18 wins each. The most pitchers to share the title in a single season is six, accomplished in 2006 when Aaron Harang, Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, John Smoltz, Brandon Webb, and Carlos Zambrano each won 16 games in the National League. In the American League, four pitchers shared the award in the strike-shortened 1981 season.

Key Year Links to the corresponding "year in baseball" or "Major League Baseball season" articleChampion(s) Player or players with the highest win total in the leagueW Number of winsRunner(s)-up Player or players with the second-best win total in the leagueLeague Denoted only for players outside of the modern major leagues† Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

National League

YearChampion(s)WTeamRunner(s)-upWRef † 47 Chicago White Stockings 45 40 Boston Red Caps 35 40 Boston Red Caps 30 † 47 Providence Grays 43 45 Cleveland Blues 43 31 Chicago White StockingsBoston Red Caps 29 36 Cleveland Blues † 33 † 48 Providence Grays † 46 † 60 Providence Grays 46 † 53 Chicago White Stockings † 44 42 Detroit WolverinesNew York Giants † 36 † 38 Chicago White Stockings † 35 † 35 New York Giants † 33 † 49 Boston Beaneaters 40 41 Chicago White Stockings 38 44 Chicago White Stockings 33 36 Chicago White StockingsCleveland Spiders 35 36 Pittsburgh Pirates 34 † 36 New York Giants 33 † 35 Cleveland Spiders 31 30 Pittsburgh PiratesBoston Beaneaters † 28 † 31 Boston Beaneaters † 28 † 31 Boston Beaneaters 28 28 Baltimore OriolesBrooklyn Superbas † 27 † 28 Brooklyn Superbas 20 25 Brooklyn Superbas 23 † 28 Pittsburgh Pirates 27 † 31 New York Giants † 30 † 35 New York Giants † 33 † 31 New York Giants 23 † 27 New York Giants † 26 † 24 New York Giants 23 † 37 New York Giants † 29 † 27 Chicago Cubs 25 † 27 New York Giants † 25 † 28 Philadelphia Phillies † 26 26 Chicago CubsNew York Giants 24 27 Philadelphia Phillies † 25 † 27 Philadelphia Phillies 26 † 31 Philadelphia Phillies 22 † 33 Philadelphia Phillies 25 † 30 Philadelphia Phillies 24 22 Chicago Cubs 20 25 New York Giants 21 † 27 Chicago Cubs 24 22 Pittsburgh PiratesBrooklyn Robins 20 † 25 Cincinnati Reds 23 27 Cincinnati Reds 25 † 28 Brooklyn Robins † 22 † 22 Brooklyn Robins 21 Ray KremerLee MeadowsFlint Rhem 20 Cincinnati RedsPittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesSt. Louis Cardinals 19 26 Chicago Cubs † 24 25 New York GiantsPittsburgh Pirates † 22 22 Chicago Cubs 19 20 Pittsburgh PiratesChicago Cubs 19 19 Philadelphia PhilliesSt. Louis CardinalsPittsburgh Pirates 18 22 Chicago Cubs 20 † 23 New York Giants 20 † 30 St. Louis Cardinals 23 † 28 St. Louis Cardinals † 23 † 26 New York Giants † 24 † 22 New York Giants 20 22 Chicago Cubs 21 27 Cincinnati Reds 25 22 Cincinnati Reds 20 22 Brooklyn DodgersBrooklyn Dodgers 19 22 St. Louis Cardinals 21 21 St. Louis CardinalsCincinnati RedsPittsburgh Pirates 18 23 Cincinnati Reds 22 23 Boston BravesSt. Louis Cardinals 22 21 St. Louis Cardinals 20 22 Cincinnati Reds 21 24 Boston Braves 20 † 21 Boston Braves 20 † 21 Boston Braves 20 23 New York GiantsNew York Giants 22 † 28 Philadelphia Phillies 18 23 Philadelphia PhilliesMilwaukee Braves 20 † 23 Philadelphia Phillies 21 † 23 Philadelphia Phillies 20 27 Brooklyn Dodgers 20 † 21 Milwaukee Braves 19 22 Pittsburgh PiratesMilwaukee Braves 20 21 Milwaukee BravesSan Francisco GiantsMilwaukee Braves 19 21 St. Louis CardinalsMilwaukee Braves 20 † 21 Cincinnati RedsMilwaukee Braves 19 † 25 Los Angeles Dodgers 24 25 Los Angeles DodgersSan Francisco Giants 23 24 Chicago Cubs † 21 † 26 Los Angeles Dodgers 24 † 27 Los Angeles Dodgers † 25 22 San Francisco Giants † 20 † 26 San Francisco Giants † 22 † 25 New York Mets † 23 23 St. Louis CardinalsSan Francisco Giants † 22 † 24 Chicago Cubs 20 † 27 Philadelphia Phillies † 21 24 San Francisco Giants 19 20 Los Angeles DodgersAtlanta Braves 19 † 22 New York Mets 20 22 San Diego Padres 21 † 23 Philadelphia Phillies † 21 † 21 San Diego Padres 20 21 Houston AstrosAtlanta Braves 18 † 24 Philadelphia Phillies 20 † 14 Cincinnati Reds 13 † 23 Philadelphia Phillies 19 19 Philadelphia Phillies 17 20 St. Louis Cardinals 18 24 New York Mets 21 21 Los Angeles Dodgers 20 18 Chicago Cubs 17 23 Los Angeles DodgersCincinnati Reds 20 20 Houston Astros † 19 22 Pittsburgh Pirates 20 20 Atlanta BravesPittsburgh Pirates 18 † 20 Atlanta BravesChicago Cubs 16 † 22 San Francisco GiantsAtlanta Braves 21 16 Montreal ExposAtlanta Braves 14 † 19 Atlanta Braves 18 † 24 Atlanta Braves 18 20 Atlanta Braves 19 † 20 Atlanta Braves 19 22 Houston Astros 21 † 21 Atlanta Braves 20 22 St. Louis CardinalsArizona Diamondbacks † 21 † 24 Arizona Diamondbacks 23 21 Atlanta Braves 18 20 Houston Astros 18 22 Florida Marlins 21 16 Cincinnati RedsLos Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersAtlanta BravesArizona DiamondbacksChicago Cubs 15 19 San Diego Padres 18 22 Arizona Diamondbacks 18 19 St. Louis Cardinals 17 † 21 Philadelphia Phillies 20 21 Arizona DiamondbacksLos Angeles Dodgers † 19 21 Washington Nationals 20 19 St. Louis CardinalsWashington Nationals 16 21 Los Angeles Dodgers 20 22 Chicago Cubs 19 20 Washington Nationals 19 18 Los Angeles Dodgers 17 18 Chicago CubsSt. Louis CardinalsWashington Nationals 17 18 Washington Nationals 17 8 Chicago Cubs 7 20 Los Angeles Dodgers 17 21 Atlanta Braves 17 20 Atlanta Braves 17 18 Atlanta Braves 16 17 Milwaukee Brewers 15 18 Philadelphia Phillies 16

American League