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300 Win ClubIn Major League Baseball, the 300 win club is an informal term applied to the group of pitchers who have won 300 or more games in their careers. The club's "founding member" was Pud Galvin in 1888. Six pitchers entered the club in the 19th century, with a seventh (Cy Young) joining in 1901. Early in the history of professional baseball, starting rotations of two men were commonplace, giving the best pitchers far more chances to earn wins than in today's game. Four more pitchers would join the club in the first quarter of the 20th century. However, only three pitchers scored their 300th win between 1924 and 1982. This dearth of 300-game winners may be explained by the offensive explosion due to the abolition of the spitball in 1921, later changes in the baseball, and the advent of the home run as a major part of the game, thanks mainly to Babe Ruth. Once the home run became commonplace, physical and mental demands on pitchers dramatically increased, leading to the creation of the four-man starting rotation. In the 1980s, the 300-win club gained five more members, with one more (Nolan Ryan) joining in 1990. This may be partly explained as a consequence of the era of free agency that began in the mid-1970s. Free agency led to unheard-of player salaries, which encouraged many older pitchers to stay in the game longer than they may have in the past. Another part of the explanation is increasing sophistication of training methods and sports medicine, which allowed players to maintain a high competitive level for a longer time. However, other changes in the game in the last part of the 20th century have made the 300-game winner an endangered species. The four-man starting rotation has given way to a five-man rotation, which gives starting pitchers still fewer chances to pick up wins. The physical and mental demands on starting pitchers have also increased, thanks to the explosion in offense that has taken place since the 1990s. Some baseball experts believe that the most recent entry into the 300-win club, Greg Maddux, may be the last member for several decades, possibly ever. The club | itcher | Wins | Date of 300th | Teams | | a href="/encyclopedia/Cy-Young" title="Cy Young">Cy Young | 511 | July 3, 1901 | Cle (NL), Bos (AL), StL (NL), Bos (NL), Cle (AL) | a href="/encyclopedia/Walter-Johnson" title="Walter Johnson">Walter Johnson | 417 | May 14, 1920 | Was | | a href="/encyclopedia/Grover-Cleveland-Alexander" title="Grover Cleveland Alexander">Grover Cleveland Alexander | 373 | September 20, 1924 | Phi (NL), Chi (NL), StL (NL) | a href="/encyclopedia/Christy-Mathewson" title="Christy Mathewson">Christy Mathewson | 373 | June 28, 1912 | NY (NL), Cin | | a href="/encyclopedia/Warren-Spahn" title="Warren Spahn">Warren Spahn | 363 | August 11, 1961 | Bos/Mil/Atl, NY (NL), SF | a href="/encyclopedia/Pud-Galvin" title="Pud Galvin">Pud Galvin | 361 | September 4, 1888 | Buf, Pit (Amer. Assoc.), Pit (NL), Pit (Players League), StL (NL) | | a href="/encyclopedia/Kid-Nichols" title="Kid Nichols">Kid Nichols | 361 | September 7, 1900 | Bos (NL), StL (NL), Phi (NL) | a href="/encyclopedia/Tim-Keefe" title="Tim Keefe">Tim Keefe | 342 | June 4, 1890 | Troy, NY (Amer. Assoc.), NY (NL), Phi (NL) | | a href="/encyclopedia/Steve-Carlton" title="Steve Carlton">Steve Carlton | 329 | September 23, 1983 | StL, Phi, SF, Chi (AL), Cle, Min | a href="/encyclopedia/John-Clarkson" title="John Clarkson">John Clarkson | 328 | September 21, 1892 | Worc, Chi (NL), Bos (NL), Cle (NL) | | a href="/encyclopedia/Roger-Clemens" title="Roger Clemens">Roger Clemens† | 328+ | June 13, 2003 | Bos, Tor, NY (AL), Hou | a href="/encyclopedia/Eddie-Plank" title="Eddie Plank">Eddie Plank | 326 | September 11, 1915 | Phi (AL), StL (Fed. League), StL (AL) | | a href="/encyclopedia/Nolan-Ryan" title="Nolan Ryan">Nolan Ryan | 324 | July 31, 1990 | NY (NL), Cal, Hou, Tex | a href="/encyclopedia/Don-Sutton" title="Don Sutton">Don Sutton | 324 | June 18, 1986 | LA, Hou, Mil, Oak, Cal | | Phil Niekro | 318 | October 6, 1985 | Mil/Atl, NY (AL), Cle, Tor | a href="/encyclopedia/Gaylord-Perry" title="Gaylord Perry">Gaylord Perry | 314 | May 6, 1982 | SF, Cle, Tex, SD, NY (AL), Atl, Sea, KC | | a href="/encyclopedia/Tom-Seaver" title="Tom Seaver">Tom Seaver | 311 | August 4, 1985 | NY (NL), Cin, Chi (AL), Bos | a href="/encyclopedia/Charles-Radbourn" title="Charles Radbourn">Charles Radbourn | 309 | May 14, 1891 | Prov, Bos (NL), Bos (Players League), Cin | | a href="/encyclopedia/Mickey-Welch" title="Mickey Welch">Mickey Welch | 307 | August 11, 1890 | Troy, NY (NL) | a href="/encyclopedia/Greg-Maddux" title="Greg Maddux">Greg Maddux† | 305+ | August 7, 2004 | Chi (NL), Atl | | a href="/encyclopedia/Lefty-Grove" title="Lefty Grove">Lefty Grove | 300 | July 25, 1941 | Phi (AL), Bos (AL) | a href="/encyclopedia/Early-Wynn" title="Early Wynn">Early Wynn | 300 | July 13, 1963 | Was, Cle, Chi (AL) | † still active
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