Complete games by starting pitchers becoming more and more rare...

[True Dough]

[Chasstev365]

1. The Detroit Tigers Denny McLain won 33 games in 1968

No one has touched that mark in almost 60 years.

Today, a 20 game winner is getting more rare all the time.

[True Dough]

5. I remember reading Denny McLain's autobiography when I was a teenager

That's a lot of years ago now. I can't recall all the details, but I remember Denny got himself into some hot water off the field. I'll have to Google it later to refresh my memory.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Need to justify payroll, relief fireballers, show fans they try their darndest

Reliever can be brought in to throw one pitch.

Money is no barrier.

Those are individual pitchers. Aggregates would be interesting.

[Brother Buzz]

3. The pitching dual of the century, or back when pitchers were work horses and that wussy 100 pitch thing was nonexistent

On July 2, 1963, two baseball legends engaged in one of the greatest pitchers' duels in baseball history.

Juan Marichal vs. Warren Spahn. Hall of Famer vs. Hall of Famer at Candlestick Park.
By the time Marichal and Spahn met on the mound that Tuesday night, they'd already faced off five times in the Major Leagues. But none of those contests were anything like this.

This was a 16-inning thriller in San Francisco, scoreless until the very end, and both Marichal and Spahn went the distance. It is still the last Major League Baseball game where both starters pitched into the 16th inning.

In the end, Marichal's Giants were victorious over Spahn's Milwaukee Braves, 1-0, thanks to the great Willie Mays' walk-off home run off Spahn in the bottom of the 16th inning.

Note: Willy Mays’ walk off homer was almost a side note, but it filled his Bingo card and set a record that is unlikely to be broken:

Willie Mays holds the unique major league record for hitting a home run in every single inning from the 1st through the 16th. (Note: Willie’s Mays’ first and 16th home run was off Warren Spahn)

[retread]

7. Juan Marichal threw 277 pitches and Warren Spahn threw 201. 5 days later on July 7 42 year old Warren Spahn threw a

complete game shutout!

[Brother Buzz]

8. And two years later, Warren Spahn finished his career with the SF Giants

Oh, but to have been a fly on the wall when Spahn and Marichal discussed that unbelievable night, with Mays quietly listening from a distance with an undiscerning smile.

[griloco]

4. 7 complete games in 1968 World Series

3-0 Mickey Lolich
2-1 Bob Gibson
1-0 Denny McLain

[True Dough]

6. So many things will never be accomplished again

Safe to say that is one of them!