Games pitched

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Jesse Orosco is the career leader in games pitched among Major League Baseball (MLB) players. Jesse orosco.jpg
Jesse Orosco is the career leader in games pitched among Major League Baseball (MLB) players.

In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of games a relief pitcher has pitched in.

Contents

Normally, a pitcher must face at least one batter (or three batters in some relief situations), but exceptions are made in the case of injury. [1] A notable example was Larry Yount, who suffered an injury while throwing warmup pitches after being summoned as a reliever in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game on September 15, 1971. [2] He did not face a batter, but was credited with an appearance because he had been announced as a substitute. [3] Yount never appeared in (or actually played in) any other MLB game.

Major League Baseball career leaders

Listed below are all MLB players with at least 1,000 games pitched. [4] The first player to reach the mark was Hoyt Wilhelm, in May 1970. [5] LaTroy Hawkins is the most recent player to reach the mark, having achieved it in September 2014. [6] As of April 2025, no active player has reached the milestone; Kenley Jansen leads active players, with over 870 games pitched. [4]

Key
PitcherName of the pitcher
AppearancesCareer games pitched in MLB
MLB seasonsThe seasons the pitcher played in the major leagues
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Denotes a pitcher who is still active
Players with 1,000 or more games pitched
PitcherAppearancesMLB seasons
FirstLast
Jesse Orosco 1,25219792003
Mike Stanton 1,17819892007
John Franco 1,11919842005
Mariano Rivera 1,11519952013
Dennis Eckersley 1,07119751998
Hoyt Wilhelm 1,07019521972
Dan Plesac 1,06419862003
Mike Timlin 1,05819912008
Kent Tekulve 1,05019741989
LaTroy Hawkins 1,04219952015
Trevor Hoffman 1,03519932010
José Mesa 1,02219872007
Lee Smith 1,02219801997
Roberto Hernández 1,01019912007
Mike Jackson 1,00519862004
Goose Gossage 1,00219721994

See also

References

  1. "Three Batter Minimum". MLB.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  2. "Astros' Rookie in 'Brief' Stint". Odessa American . Odessa, Texas. AP. September 16, 1971. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 31, 2018 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 2". Retrosheet . September 15, 1971. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Career Leaders & Records for Games Played". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  5. "Number 1,000". The Greenville News . Greenville, South Carolina. AP. May 11, 1970. p. 10. Retrieved April 26, 2023 via newspapers.com.
  6. Baxter, Kevin (September 28, 2014). "Dodgers enjoy a little R&R". Los Angeles Times . p. C5. Retrieved April 26, 2023 via newspapers.com.