Most Playoff and World Series Wins by Pitcher

The list of pitchers with the most playoff and World Series wins is not surprisingly made up of the pitchers who pitched in the most in the playoffs and World Series. The list is populated with New York Yankee and Atlanta Braves pitchers since both teams were in the playoffs and World Series many times since baseball expanded its playoff series in 1995. Every pitcher with at least 10 postseason wins is listed.

1) Andy Pettitte - 18 Wins in Postseason

Andy Pettitte has the most wins of any pitcher in major league baseball in the playoffs and World Series with 18. Pettitte also leads all pitchers with the most games started in the postseason with 40 and most innings pitched with 249. So it's no surprise he has the most wins.

Pettitte has a World Series record of 5-4 and a playoff record of 13-5 pitching mostly for the New York Yankees. His record with the Houston Astros is 1-1 in the playoffs and he did not record a decision during the 2005 series when the Chicago White Sox swept the Astros. Pettitte like most of the Yankees pitchers since 1996 does not have a complete game in the playoffs due to the presence of closer Mariano Rivera.

2) John Smoltz - 15

John Smoltz was a great playoff and World Series pitcher compiling a 15-4 record with a 2.67 ERA in 209 innings (3rd most all-time) pitched as both a starter and closer. In addition to 15 wins Smoltz also saved 4 games in the playoffs. Smoltz was in the postseason all the time playing for the Atlanta Braves and in 5 World Series he was 2-2 with a 2.47 ERA while the Braves went just 1-4 in those World Series.

3) Tom Glavine - 14

John Smoltz's longtime Atlanta Brave teammate Tom Glavine has the 3rd most wins in the playoffs and World Series with 14. Glavine is 2nd all-time in innings pitched in the postseason with 218.1 and 2nd all-time in starts with 35 so again like Andy Pettitte it's no surprise he's on the list. Glavine's overall record in postseason play is 14-16 with a 3.30 ERA and he was actually great in the World Series going 4-3 with a 2.16 ERA. How in the world did the Braves go 1-4 in the World Series in the 1990's?

4) Roger Clemens - 12

Roger Clemens was a mediocre playoff pitcher but a brilliant performer in the World Series. Overall in the postseason his record is 12-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 35 games with 34 starts but in the World Series he was 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA. Clemens pitched in the World Series for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Houston Astros and his teams went a combined 2-4 in those series.

Roger Clemens is alleged to have used steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in his career so nobody knows how much of his pitching records are tainted.

5) Greg Maddux - 11

Greg Maddux was not a great postseason pitcher but he was a great pitcher in the World Series. Overall he was just 11-14 in the postseason with a 3.27 ERA in 198 innings pitched over 35 games and 30 starts but in the World Series he was 2-3 with a superb 2.09 ERA. Again with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz how did the Atlanta Braves lose 4 out of 5 World Series? All three pitched to great ERA's in the Fall Classic so one has to conclude the Braves just didn't hit.

5) Curt Schilling - 11

Curt Schilling was a brilliant pitcher in both the playoffs and in the World Series. In 19 postseason starts and 133.1 innings pitched Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA. He was even better in the World Series going 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 7 starts and had a complete game shutout. Schilling pitched in the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox and his teams went a combined 3-1.

7) Whitey Ford - 10

Ford went 10-8 in 22 starts over 146 innings pitched in the World Series for the Yankees who were 6-5 in the series he competed in.

7) David Wells - 10

David Wells was always known as a good big game pitcher and he went 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 17 starts, 27 games and 125 innings pitched in the postseason. He made 3 World Series winning in 1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays over the Atlanta Braves and then went 1-1 with the New York Yankees.

7) Dave Stewart - 10

In 133 innings pitched over 22 games in the postseason Dave Stewart was a combined 10-6 with a 2.77 ERA. He was not great in the World Series though going 2-4 with 3.32 ERA but his teams won 3 of the 5 series he competed in.

Source: http://www.baseball-reference.com/