The Case for Jim McCormick

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Jim McCormick's 265 Wins is 39th all time.  

• 7th all time in Wins through Age 30 (when he retired)
• Led the league 2x in Wins
• Won 25 games 6x 
• Won 40 games 2x  
• In 1880 McCormick won 45 of his team's 47 total wins
• In 1886 went on a 15 game win streak, a record that still stands
• Averaged over 26 wins/year for his entire career, 3rd most among HOF starting pitchers

Yes, McCormick ended his career before he accrued 300 wins.  For a full explanation why McCormick fell short of this milestone, click here.

Some HOF pitchers with fewer Wins:

Bob Gibson

Whitey Ford

Juan Marichal

Sandy Koufax

Jack Morris

Carl Hubbell

Jim Bunning

Catfish Hunter

Pedro Martinez

Don Drysdale

Jim McCormick's 2.43 ERA is 8th best among the 78 starting pitchers in the Hall of Fame.

• The only pitchers in history with 4,000 IP and a 2.50 ERA are Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Eddie Plank, and Jim McCormick.
• The only other pitcher with a sub-2.50 ERA and 450 CG is Walter Johnson, arguably the greatest pitcher of all time
• Led the league in ERA 2x 
• Posted a sub-2.00 ERA 3x 
• Posted an ERA over 3.00 just once in his career - something none of his Hall of Fame peers accomplished
• One of only 8 pitchers in history to have a season with 600 IP and an ERA under 2.00.

Some HOF Pitchers with higher ERA:

Cy Young

Sandy Koufax

Randy Johnson

Greg Maddux

Bob Feller

Tom Seaver

Nolan Ryan

Bob Gibson

Pedro Martinez

Tim Keefe

Old Hoss Radbourn

Satchel Paige

Whitey Ford

Pud Galvin

Jim Palmer

Juan Marichal

Warren Spahn

Gaylord Perry

Roy Halladay

Jim McCormick's 466 CG is 11th all-time and ranks 9th among Hall of Famers.

• McCormick's 46.6 CG per year is #1 all-time. 
• Completed 96.1% of his starts, 3rd all-time among pitchers with 400 games behind only HOFer Old Hoss Radbourn and 19th Century great Will White.
• McCormick and Walter Johnson are the only 2 pitchers in baseball history with 450 CG and a sub-2.50 ERA
• Led the league in CG every year from 1880-82.
• 3rd all time in CG through age 30

Jim McCormick's 4,275.2 innings pitched is 34th all-time.  McCormick's 427.2 IP per year is #1 all-time.

• Led league in IP 2x
• Threw over 500 IP 5x
• Averaged 8.2 innings pitched per game, more than any Hall of Fame pitcher.
• 16th all-time in ERA+ among pitchers with 4,000 IP

Jim McCormick's 1.13 WHIP ranks 18th among Hall of Fame starting pitchers.

Only pitchers with 4,000 IP and 1.13 WHIP:

• Cy Young
• Walter Johnson
• Eddie Plank
• Tim Keefe
• Grover Alexander
• Christy Mathewson
• Tom Seaver
• Jim McCormick

McCormick's 1885 Chicago White Stockings won the National League and played the St. Louis Browns in the 1885 Championship Series.  

McCormick started 5 out of the 7 games in the series, completing all 5 starts, and accounting for all 3 of Chicago's wins in the series with a 2.00 ERA and a .917 WHIP.