Games pitched

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.

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 2023, no active player has reached the milestone; Kenley Jansen leads active players, with over 770 games pitched.[4]

Key
Pitcher Name of the pitcher
Appearances Career games pitched in MLB
MLB seasons The 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
Pitcher Appearances MLB seasons
First Last
Jesse Orosco 1,252 1979 2003
Mike Stanton 1,178 1989 2007
John Franco 1,119 1984 2005
Mariano Rivera† 1,115 1995 2013
Dennis Eckersley† 1,071 1975 1998
Hoyt Wilhelm† 1,070 1952 1972
Dan Plesac 1,064 1986 2003
Mike Timlin 1,058 1991 2008
Kent Tekulve 1,050 1974 1989
LaTroy Hawkins 1,042 1995 2015
Trevor Hoffman† 1,035 1993 2010
José Mesa 1,022 1987 2007
Lee Smith† 1,022 1980 1997
Roberto Hernández 1,010 1991 2007
Mike Jackson 1,005 1986 2004
Goose Gossage† 1,002 1972 1994

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. ^ a b "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.