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. 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. He did not face a batter, but was credited with an appearance because he had been announced as a substitute. 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. The first player to reach the mark was Hoyt Wilhelm, in May 1970. LaTroy Hawkins is the most recent player to reach the mark, having achieved it in September 2014. As of April 2023, no active player has reached the milestone; Kenley Jansen leads active players, with over 770 games pitched.
| 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 |
| 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
- "Three Batter Minimum". MLB.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- "Astros' Rookie in 'Brief' Stint". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. AP. September 16, 1971. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 31, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- "Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 2". Retrosheet. September 15, 1971. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Games Played". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- "Number 1,000". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. AP. May 11, 1970. p. 10. Retrieved April 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- Baxter, Kevin (September 28, 2014). "Dodgers enjoy a little R&R". Los Angeles Times. p. C5. Retrieved April 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.