Editing Warren Spahn (section)

==Boston / Milwaukee Braves==
Spahn's first full season as a starting pitcher came in 1947, when he led the National League in ERA (2.33), shutouts (7), and innings pitched ({{frac|289|2|3}}) while posting a 21–10 record.<ref name=BR/> It was the first of his thirteen 20-win seasons. Spahn also won two more ERA titles, in 1953 and 1961.<ref name=BR/>

On June 11, 1950, Spahn and pitcher [[Bob Rush (baseball)|Bob Rush]] of the Cubs each stole a base against each other; no opposing pitchers again stole a base in the same game until May 3, 2004, when [[Jason Marquis]] and [[Greg Maddux]] repeated the feat.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Rare-feet-Opposing-hurlers-steal-bases-in-the-2781134.php|author=Camps, Mark|title=Rare feet: Opposing hurlers steal bases in the same game|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 9, 2004}}</ref>

In 1951, Spahn allowed the first career hit to [[Willie Mays]], a home run. Mays had begun his career 0-for-12, and Spahn responded to reporters after the game, citing the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound of {{convert|60|ft|6|in|m}}, "Gentlemen, for the first 60 feet, that was a hell of a pitch." Spahn joked a long time later, "I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out." (In 1962, another Hall of Famer hit his first career home run off Spahn: [[Sandy Koufax]], who only hit one other.)

==="Pray for rain"===
[[File:Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn.png|thumb|210px|Spahn (right) with [[Johnny Sain]]]]
Spahn's teammate [[Johnny Sain]] was the ace of the pennant-winning 1948 Braves staff, with a win–loss record of 24–15. Spahn went 15–12 while, contrary to legend, teammates [[Bill Voiselle]] (13–13), and [[Vern Bickford]] (11–5) also pitched well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baseballevolution.com/keith/sainrain.html |title=Spahn and Sain and Trade for Burdette: Never Trust Gimmicky Rhymes |website=BaseballEvolution.com |first1=Keith |last1=Glab |date=February 11, 2006}}</ref>

In honor of the pitching duo, ''[[Boston Post]]'' sports editor Gerald V. Hern wrote this poem which the popular media eventually condensed to "[[Pray for Rain (poem)|Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain]]":

<poem style="margin-left: 2em">
First we'll use Spahn
then we'll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.
</poem>

The poem was inspired by the performance of Spahn and Sain during the Braves' 1948 pennant drive. The team swept a [[Labor Day]] [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]], with Spahn throwing a complete 14-inning win in the opener, and Sain pitching a shutout in the second game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_rain.shtml |title=Spahn & Sain by Gerald V. Hern |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref> Following two off days, it did rain. Spahn won the next day, and Sain won the day after that. Three days later, Spahn won again. Sain won the next day. After one more off day, the two pitchers were brought back, and won another doubleheader. The two pitchers had gone 8–0 in 12 days' time.<ref>{{cite news |title="Spahn and Sain and pray for rain."... |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-09-me-sain9-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 9, 2006}}</ref>

Other sayings have been derived from "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." For example, some referred to the [[1993 San Francisco Giants season|1993 San Francisco Giants]]' imbalanced rotation as "[[John Burkett|Burkett]] and [[Bill Swift|Swift]] and pray for snow drift."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19930817&id=tH1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=2019,322587&hl=en |title=Giants fans have no reason to fear the Braves |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |last=Nevius |first=C.W. |date=August 17, 1993 |access-date=July 10, 2017}}</ref>

In 1957, Spahn was the ace of the champion [[1957 Milwaukee Braves season|Milwaukee Braves]]. He pitched on two other Braves pennant winners, in 1948 and 1958. Spahn led the NL in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons, from 1949 to 1952 (tied with Don Newcombe in 1951), which includes a single-game high of 18 strikeouts in a 15-inning appearance on June 14, 1952.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Cubs vs Boston Braves Box Score: June 14, 1952 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN195206140.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

During the [[1957 World Series]], [[Sal Maglie]] of the Yankees, ineligible to pitch in the series because he was acquired too late in the season, watched the games with Robert Creamer of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' and made assessments of the players. When Spahn was pitching, Maglie observed that batters had to try to hit balls to the opposite field against Spahn, as he was more likely to get them out if they tried to pull the ball.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Maglie |first=Sal |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/10/14/braves-new-world |title=Braves' New World |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=October 14, 1957}}</ref>

[[File:Warren Spahn 1958.png|thumb|180px|Spahn in 1958.]]
On July 2, 1963, facing the [[San Francisco Giants]], the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-old [[Juan Marichal]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Kaplan, Jim  |title=The Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn, and the Pitching Duel of the Century |publisher=Triumph Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-1600788215}}</ref> The score was still 0–0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/07/01/kaplan-spahnmarichal |title=Nearly half century later, Spahn-Marichal duel still the best ever |author=Kaplan, Jim |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=July 1, 2011 }}</ref>

Marichal's manager, [[Alvin Dark]], visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here." Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1–0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196307020.shtml |title=Milwaukee Braves vs San Francisco Giants Box Score: July 2, 1963 |work=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

Spahn threw his first no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 1960, when he was 39. He pitched his second no-hitter the following year on April 28, 1961, against the Giants. During the last two seasons of his career, Spahn was the oldest active player in baseball. He lost this distinction for a single day: September 25, 1965, when 58-year-old [[Satchel Paige]] pitched three innings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Athletics Box Score: September 25, 1965 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KC1/KC1196509250.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

Spahn's seemingly ageless ability caused [[Stan Musial]] to quip, "I don't think Spahn will ever get into the Hall of Fame. He'll never stop pitching."<ref name=hofspahn/>

===Final season===
Following the 1964 season, after 25 years with the franchise, Spahn was sold by the Braves to the New York Mets.<ref name=BR/> Braves manager [[Bobby Bragan]] predicted, "Spahnie won't win six games with the Mets." Spahn took on the dual role of pitcher and pitching coach. Spahn won four and lost 12 at which point the Mets put Spahn on waivers. He was put on waivers on July 15, 1965, and released on July 22, 1965.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warren Spahn Trades and Transactions |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=spahnwa01 |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref> He signed with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he appeared in his final major league game on October 1, 1965, at the age of 44. With the Mets and Giants combined, he won seven games for the season—his last in the major leagues.<ref name=BR/> 

===Career statistics===
In a 22-season major league career, Spahn posted a 363–245 [[Win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] with 2,583 [[strikeout]]s and a 3.09 [[earned run average|ERA]] in 5,243.2 [[innings pitched]], including 63 [[shutout]]s and 382 [[complete game]]s.<ref name=BR/> His 2,583 career strikeouts were the most by a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history until he was later on surpassed by [[Mickey Lolich]] in {{mlby|1975}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theledger.com/sports/20170805/kemp-its-time-lolich-gets-his-name-called-for-hall |date=August 5, 2017 |title=It's time Lolich gets his name called for the Hall |author=Kemp, Bill |newspaper=[[The Ledger]]}}</ref>

His 363 career win total ranks sixth overall in major league history; it is also the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 [[live-ball era]].<ref name="Career Leaders & Records for Wins"/> Spahn still holds the major league record for most career wins by a left-handed pitcher.<ref name="Career Leaders & Records for Wins"/> His 63 career shutouts is the highest total in the live-ball era and sixth highest overall.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SHO_career.shtml |title=Career Leaders & Records for Shutouts |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=27 January 2020 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"  style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! Category !! W !! L !! ERA !! G !! GS !! CG !! SHO !! SV !! IP !! R !! ER !! HR !! BB !! SO !! HBP !! WHIP !! FIP !! ERA+
|-
| Total || 363 || 245 || 3.09 || 750 || 665 || 382 || 63 || 28 || 5,243.2 || 2,016 || 1,798 || 434 || 1,434 || 2,583, || 42 || 1.195 || 3.49 || 119
|}