The website baseball-reference.com shows that 125 pitchers who were born in Wisconsin have pitched in the league, and 82 of those players won at least one game in the majors.
So, of those 125 pitchers, who is the greatest Wisconsin-born pitcher in MLB history?
Three MLB pitchers born in Wisconsin are in the Hall of Fame
Did you know that three Wisconsin-born pitchers are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame? All were voted in by the Veterans/Old Timers committees. The three:
Kid Nichols: Born in Madison, Nichols pitched from 1890-1906 winning 362 games. Voted to the Hall in 1949. His 362 wins ranks sixth in MLB history.
Burleigh Grimes: Born in Emerald, Grimes won 270 games pitching for seven teams in a career that spanned 1916-34. Voted to the Hall in 1964. Had 314 career complete games.
Addie Joss: Born in Woodland, Joss had 160 wins in nine seasons with Cleveland from 1902-10. Voted to the Hall in 1978. His career ERA of 1.89 is ranked second all-time.
Any one of these three would be an excellent choice for the greatest Wisconsin-born pitcher in MLB history. But let’s throw out a few stats for your consideration. First, a look at the Wisconsin-born pitchers with the most career wins.
Most wins by Wisconsin-born MLB pitchers
362-Kid Nichols, 1890-1906, born in Madison
270-Burleigh Grimes, 1916-34, born in Emerald
167-Pink Hawley, 1892-1901, born in Beaver Dam
160-Addie Joss, 1902-10, born in Woodland
148-Brad Radke, 1995-2006, born in Eau Claire
111-Shane Rawley, 1978-89, born in Racine
107-Jarrod Washburn, 1998-2009, born in LaCrosse
103-Ed Killian, 1903-10, born in Racine
100-Zane Smith, 1984-96, born in Madison
97-Billy Hoeft, 1952-66, born in Oshkosh
Strikeouts and saves leaders from Wisconsin-born pitchers
Seven different Wisconsin-born pitchers had 1,000 or more strikeouts: Nichols (1,881), Grimes (1,512), Radke (1,467), Jordan Zimmerman, born in Auburndale (1,271), Hoeft (1,140), Washburn (1,103) and Smith (1,011). Rawley ended his career nine strikeouts short of 1,000 with 991.
There are also four Wisconsin-born pitchers who had 40 or more career saves. Leading the way with 267 career saves is Bob Wickman with 267. Wickman, who was born in Green Bay, was a closer with five teams in his 15-year career. Ryne Duren, born in Cazenovia, had 55 saves from 1954-65, followed by Rich Loiselle, born in Neenah, who had 49 saves from 1996-2001. Rawley had exactly 40 saves in his career.
So, who is your choice for the greatest Wisconsin-born pitcher in MLB history?
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