4 20-Game Winners? Not Since '71, and Maybe Not Again

Fifty years ago, Earl Weaver had something few managers ever possessed: a starting rotation with four 20-game winners.
On their way to a third consecutive pennant, the 1971 Baltimore Orioles featured a rotation of Jim Palmer (20-9, 2.68 ERA), Mike Cuellar (20-9. 3.08 ERA), Pat Dobson (20-8, 2.90 ERA) and Dave McNally (21-5, 2.89 ERA). It was the first time in 51 years a staff achieved that milestone, and with teams now using five or six starters, and free agency breaking up rotations, odds are it might never happen again.
“We knew it was special, but we were all centered on getting to the World Series,” said Weaver.
McNally missed several starts because of an elbow problem, but he pitched 224 innings that year. Cuellar hurled 292 innings while Palmer and Dobson both threw 282 frames.
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