Warren Spahn

Warren Edward Spahn
Born: April 23, 1921 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Died: Nov. 24, 2003 in Broken Arrow, Okla.
Debut: 1942 | Pos: P
H: 6' | W: 175 | B: L | T: L

>> Visit the Warren Spahn biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Warren Spahn, the Hall of Fame pitcher who won more games than any other left-hander in history, died Nov. 24, 2003 at his home. He was 82.

Spahn spent the majority of his 21-year pitching career with the Braves, debuting with the team while it was still in Boston and pitching in Milwaukee until the mid-1960s. He finished his career with 363 wings and a 3.09 ERA. He led the league in wins eight times and posted 13 seasons of 20 or more wins.

"Warren Spahn was a fighter and a winner," said New York Yankees manager Joe Torre in a wire report. "He made catching in the big leagues a lot easier for me because he took me under his wing along with Lew Burdette. One of my biggest thrills to this day was catching his 300th victory in 1961."

Spahn's baseball career took him from Buffalo, where he played first base for an athletic club team. He wanted to play first base in high school, but when that spot was taken, he made a wise switch to pitching.

He signed with the Braves in 1940 and made it to the major leagues in 1942. He, however, was sent back down by manager Casey Stengel for refusing to throw a brush back pitch against Pee Wee Reese in an exhibition game.

He pitched for Hartford that season and posted a 17-12 record and a 1.96 ERA.

His baseball career took a backseat to the war in 1943. Spahn joined the Army and served in Europe where he was injured. He received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a battlefield commission. His service included the Battle of the Bulge.

He returned to the Braves in 1946 and posted an 8-5 record. In 1947, he had a 21-10 record and led the league with 2.33 ERA.

In 1948, he joined with Johnny Sain on the pitching staff that earned the description of "Spahn and Sain and three days of rain." The Braves won the NL pennant that season, losing to the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.

He was once quoted as saying, "When I'm pitching, I feel I'm down to the essentials -- two men with one challenge between them."

He led the Braves to pennants with 21 wins in 1957 and 22 in 1958 and won 21 games in each of the next three seasons. He was 23-7 and led the league with a 2.10 ERA in 1953 at age 32. At 42, he reached the mark again, going 23-7 in 1963 with a 2.60 ERA.

His career includes the 1957 Cy Young Award and 14 All-Star appearances. He threw two no-hitters and holds the NL record for home runs hit by a pitcher with 35.

Spahn was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973, his first year of eligibility.

Sources: Total Baseball, AP obituary