Editing Warren Spahn

{{short description|American baseball player (1921–2003)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Warren Spahn
|image=Warren Spahn 1953.jpg
|caption= Spahn with the Boston Braves in 1953
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|birth_date={{Birth date|1921|4|23}}
|birth_place=[[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2003|11|24|1921|4|23}}
|death_place=[[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 19
|debutyear=1942
|debutteam=Boston Braves
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 1
|finalyear=1965
|finalteam=San Francisco Giants
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=363–245
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.09
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=2,583
|teams=
* [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston]] / [[Milwaukee Braves (1953–65)|Milwaukee Braves]] ({{mlby|1942}}, {{mlby|1946}}–{{mlby|1964}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1965}})
* [[San Francisco Giants]] ({{mlby|1965}})
|highlights=
* 17× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1947 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1947]], [[1949 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1949]]–[[1954 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1954]], [[1956 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1956]]–[[1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1959²]], [[1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game)|1961]]–[[1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1963]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1957}})
* [[Cy Young Award]] (1957)
* 8× [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|NL wins leader]] (1949, 1950, 1953, 1957–1961)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders|NL ERA leader]] (1947, 1953, 1961)
* 4× [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|NL strikeout leader]] (1949–1952)
* Pitched two [[no-hitters]]
* [[Atlanta Braves#Retired numbers|Atlanta Braves No. 21]] retired
* [[Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum and Hall of Fame|Braves Hall of Fame]]
* [[American Family Field Walk of Fame]]
* [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate = [[1973 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1973]]
|hofvote = 83.2% (first ballot)
}}

'''Warren Edward Spahn''' (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[pitcher]] who played 21 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notably for the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]], who became the [[Milwaukee Braves (1953–65)|Milwaukee Braves]] after the team moved west before the {{mlby|1953}} season. His baseball career was interrupted by his military service in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=hofspahn>{{cite web |url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/spahn-warren |title=Spahn, Warren |publisher=[[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref>

With 363 career wins, Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher, and has the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 [[live-ball era]].<ref name="Career Leaders & Records for Wins">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/W_career.shtml |title=Career Leaders & Records for Wins |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=27 January 2020 }}</ref> He was a 17-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] who won 20&nbsp;games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 win–loss record when he was age 42.<ref name=BR/> Spahn won the 1957 [[Cy Young Award]] and was a three-time runner-up during the period when only one award was given for both leagues. At the time of his retirement in 1965, Spahn held the Major League record for career [[strikeout]]s by a left-handed pitcher.<ref name=BR/>

Spahn was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in his first year of eligibility in [[1973 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1973]], with 82.89% of the vote.<ref name=hofspahn/> The [[Warren Spahn Award]], given annually to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://okcspahnawards.com/ |title=The Warren Spahn Award |publisher=[[Oklahoma Sports Museum]]}}</ref> Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kahn |first1=Roger |title=Mind Over Batter: No one had a Better head for Pitching than Warren Spahn |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2003/12/08/mind-over-batter-no-one-had-a-better-head-for-pitching-than-warren-spahn |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=December 8, 2003}}</ref>

==Early life==
Spahn was born and raised in [[Buffalo, New York]], to Edward and Mabel Spahn, the fifth of six children and the first of two sons. He was named after President [[Warren G. Harding]] and his father.<ref name=sabr-spahn>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/warren-spahn/ |title=Warren Spahn (SABR BioProject) |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref>

He attended [[Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)|Buffalo Bisons]] baseball games with his father and initially wanted to be a first baseman. However, when Spahn began to attend [[South Park High School (Buffalo, New York)|South Park High School]], the first baseman position was already taken. Reluctantly, he took up pitching and led his high school team to two city championships, going undefeated his last two seasons, and throwing a no-hitter his senior year.<ref name=sabr-spahn/>

==Baseball career==
[[File:Warren_Spahn_Pitching_transparency_1952_March_21.png|left|thumb|upright=0.8|Spahn's famous high legkick windup]]
Spahn's major league career began in 1942 with the [[History of the Atlanta Braves|Braves organization]] and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in [[Boston]] and then in [[Milwaukee]]. He finished his career in 1965 with the [[New York Mets]] and the [[San Francisco Giants]]. With 363 wins, Spahn is the sixth most winning pitcher in history, trailing only [[Cy Young]] (511), [[Walter Johnson]] (417), [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]] (373), [[Christy Mathewson]] (373), and [[Pud Galvin]] (364) on MLB's all-time list. He led the league in wins eight times (1949–50, 1953, 1957–1961, each season with 20+ wins) and won at least 20 games an additional five times (1947, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963).<ref name=BR>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/spahnwa01.shtml |title=Warren Spahn Career Statistics |work=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> 

Spahn also threw two [[no-hitter]]s, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40. He won three [[Earned run average|ERA]] titles (1947, 1953, and 1961), and four strikeout crowns (1949–1952).<ref name=BR/> Spahn also appeared in 14 [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Games]], the most of any pitcher in the 20th century. He won the [[Major League Baseball Player of the Month|NL Player of the Month Award]] in August 1960 (6–0, 2.30 ERA, 32 SO) and August 1961 (6–0, 1.00 ERA, 26 SO).<ref>{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Players of the Month|work=Baseball-Reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mlb-players-of-the-month.shtml}}</ref>

Spahn acquired the nickname "Hooks", not so much because of his pitching, but due to the prominent shape of his nose. He had once been hit in the face by a thrown ball that he was not expecting, and his broken nose settled into a hook-like shape. In Spahn's final season, during his stint with the Mets, [[Yogi Berra]] came out of retirement briefly and caught four games, one of them with Spahn pitching. Yogi later told reporters, "I don't think we're the oldest [[Battery (baseball)|battery]], but we're certainly the ugliest."<ref name=sabr-spahn/>

Spahn was known for a very high leg kick in his delivery. Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose. As a left-hander, Spahn was able not only to watch any runner on first base, but also to avoid telegraphing whether he was delivering to the plate or to first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and a good screwball. He led or shared the lead in the NL in wins in 1957–1961 (age 36–40).<ref name=sabr-spahn/>

Spahn was also a good hitter, hitting at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. [[Wes Ferrell]], who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (363-for-1872) with 141 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 57 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], six [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 94 [[bases on balls]] and 189 [[Run batted in|RBI]]. He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958 he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBI and a walk.<ref name="BR" />

===Minor Leagues and brief call-up===
First signed by the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]], he reported to the Class-D [[Bradford Bees]] of the PONY League — later known as the [[NY-Penn League]] — after graduating high school. Spahn made his professional debut on July 6 at MacArthur Park ([[Dwyer Stadium]]) in [[Batavia, New York]]. Spahn took the loss against the [[Batavia Clippers]] pitching out of the bullpen where he walked two batters and struck out none. He finished the season with a 5–4 record and 2.73 ERA. In 1941, Spahn broke out and won 19 games against 6 losses with a 1.83 ERA while pitching for the Class-B [[Evansville Bees]] of the [[Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League]].<ref name=spahn-minorleague>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=spahn-001war|title = Warren Spahn Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics}}</ref>

Spahn reached the major leagues in [[1942 in baseball|1942]] at the age of 20. He clashed with Braves manager [[Casey Stengel]], who sent him back to the minors after Spahn refused to throw at [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] batter [[Pee Wee Reese]] in an exhibition game.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Richard |title=Warren Spahn, 82, Dies; Left-Handed Craftsman of the Baseball Mound for 21 Seasons |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/25/sports/warren-spahn-82-dies-left-handed-craftsman-of-the-baseball-mound-for-21-seasons.html |access-date=August 18, 2014 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 25, 2003}}</ref> Spahn had pitched in only 4 games, allowing 15 runs (10 earned) in 15.2 innings.<ref name=BR/>

Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made: "I said "no guts" to a kid who went on to become a war hero and one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers you ever saw. You can't say I don't miss 'em when I miss 'em". The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. Spahn was reunited with his first manager 23 years later, for the even more woeful last-place New York Mets, and—referring to Stengel's success with the 1949–60 [[New York Yankees]]—later quipped, "I'm probably the only guy who played for Casey before and after he was a genius."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Verdi |first1=Bob |title=Stengel's 'mistake,' Spahn best of any era |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-11-30-0311300297-story.html |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 30, 2003}}</ref>

Spahn finished the 1942 season with a 17–12 record for the [[Hartford Bees]] of the Class-A [[Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League]].<ref name=spahn-minorleague/>

==World War II==
Along with many other major leaguers, Spahn chose to enlist in the [[United States Army]], after finishing the 1942 season in the minors.<ref name=hofspahn/> He served with distinction, and was awarded a [[Purple Heart]]. He saw action in the [[Battle of the Bulge]] and at the [[Ludendorff Bridge]] as a [[Combat engineering|combat engineer]], and was awarded a [[battlefield commission]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] |url=https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/Historical-Vignettes/Sports-Entertainment/097-Baseball-Legend/ |title=Historical Vignette 097 - A Baseball Legend Served with Distinction as a Combat Engineer in World War II |date=April 2005}}</ref>

Spahn returned to the major leagues in [[1946 in baseball|1946]] at the age of 25, having missed three full seasons. Had he played, it is possible that Spahn would have finished his career behind only [[Walter Johnson]] and [[Cy Young]] in all-time wins.<ref>{{cite book|title=Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|author=Bullock, Steven R.|pages=134–135|year=2004|isbn=0-8032-1337-9 }}</ref> Spahn was unsure of the war's impact on his career:

{{blockquote|People say that my absence from the big leagues may have cost me a chance to win 400 games. But I don't know about that. I matured a lot in three years, and I think I was better equipped to handle major league hitters at 25 than I was at 22. Also, I pitched until I was 44. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schlossberg |first1=Dan |title=Did Boston Stay Separate Warren Spahn from 400 Wins? |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/did-boston-stay-separate-warren-spahn-from-400-wins/ |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref>}}

==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
|}

==Later life==
Spahn managed the [[Tulsa Oilers (baseball)|Tulsa Oilers]] for five seasons, winning 372 games from 1967 to 1971. His 1968 club won the [[Pacific Coast League]] championship. He also coached for the [[Tigres de Quintana Roo|Mexico City Tigers]], and pitched a handful of games there. He was a pitching coach with the [[Cleveland Indians]], in the minor leagues for the [[California Angels]], and for six years, with Japan's [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]].

For many years he owned and ran the large Diamond Star Ranch south of [[Hartshorne, Oklahoma]], before retiring to live near a golf course in [[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma|Broken Arrow]] with his half-Cherokee wife LoRene (née Southard) with whom he had one child, a son named Gregory (1948–2022).<ref name=sabr-spahn/>

===Death===
Spahn died of natural causes at his home in [[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma]]. He is interred in the Elmwood Cemetery in Hartshorne. After his death, a street was named after him in [[Buffalo, New York]], Warren Spahn Way, that connects Abbott Road with Seneca Street, through Cazenovia Park, in the heart of South Buffalo. The street is near South Park High School, Spahn's alma mater.

==Honors==
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = BravesRetired21.png
|Name   = Warren Spahn
|Number = 21
|Team   = Milwaukee Braves
|Year   = 1965
|}}

Spahn's number 21 was retired by the Braves in 1965, soon after his retirement.<ref name="w706">{{cite web | last=Bowman | first=Mark | title=Braves retired numbers | website=MLB.com | date=2021-12-01 | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-retired-numbers-c300106638 | access-date=2025-01-19}}</ref> He was selected for the all-time [[All-Star]] baseball team by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine in 1991, as the left-handed pitcher. The other selections were: outfielders [[Ty Cobb]], [[Babe Ruth]], and [[Willie Mays]]; shortstop [[Cal Ripken]], third baseman [[Mike Schmidt]], second baseman [[Jackie Robinson]], first baseman [[Lou Gehrig]], catcher [[Mickey Cochrane]], right-handed pitcher [[Christy Mathewson]], relief pitcher [[Dennis Eckersley]], and manager [[Casey Stengel]].

Spahn was elected to the [[Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame]] in 1973 and became a charter member of both the [[Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1985,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-8132850|title=Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame|access-date=29 August 2012}}</ref> and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warren Spahn, Class of 1991 |url=https://www.buffalosportshallfame.com/member/warren-spahn/ |website=Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame|date=July 20, 2012 }}</ref>

In 1999, he was ranked number 21 by ''[[The Sporting News]]'' on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|magazine=[[The Sporting News]]|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416222917/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-21.html |archive-date=April 16, 2005 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-21.html}}</ref> and was also named one of the 30 players on the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The All-Century Team|website=[[Major League Baseball|MLB.com]]|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|access-date=February 15, 2007|archive-date=January 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119065808/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[The Athletic]]'' ranked Spahn at number 49 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter [[Joe Posnanski]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100: No. 49, Warren Spahn |url=https://theathletic.com/1578282/2020/02/07/the-baseball-100-no-49-warren-spahn/ |magazine=[[The Athletic]] |date=February 7, 2020}}</ref>

[[Image:Warren Spahn Turner Field Statue.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A statue of Spahn was situated outside of [[Turner Field]], and is now outside of [[Truist Park]]]]

Spahn was inducted into the [[Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum and Hall of Fame|Braves Hall of Fame]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/history/braves-hall-of-famers |title=Braves Hall of Fame |work=[[Major League Baseball|MLB.com]]}}</ref> A few months before his death, he attended the unveiling of a statue outside [[Atlanta]]'s [[Turner Field]]. When the Braves vacated Turner Field to move into their current home of [[Truist Park]], the statue was moved, and now stands outside that ballpark. The statue depicts Spahn in the middle of one of his leg kicks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Justin A. |title=Statue of Warren Spahn set to be unveiled on Friday |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2003/08/07/statue-of-warren-spahn-set-to-be-unveiled-on-friday/62032019007/ |work=[[The Oklahoman]] |date=August 7, 2003}}</ref>

The statue was created by Shan Gray, who has sculpted numerous other statues of athletes which stand in Oklahoma, including two others of Spahn. [[Statue of Warren Spahn|One statue]] resides at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame located at the [[Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark]] and the other is located in [[Hartshorne, Oklahoma]] at the Hartshorne Event Center.

On April 4, 2009, the facilities of Broken Arrow Youth Baseball, in Spahn's longtime home of [[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma]], were dedicated in his honor.

In their ''[[The Naked Gun|Naked Gun]]'' films, producers [[Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker]] sometimes included joke credits. The trio, who were Milwaukee-area natives, included Spahn in the closing credits once, with the disclaimer, "He's not in the film, but he's still our all-time favorite left-hand pitcher."

Spahn also made his acting debut with a cameo appearance as a German soldier in a 1963 episode (S2E8 "Glow Against the Sky")<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0544515/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast |title="Combat!" Glow Against the Sky (TV Episode 1963) – Full Cast & Crew |website=IMDb.com |access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> of the television series ''[[Combat!]]''

In 2013, the [[Bob Feller Act of Valor Award]] honored Spahn as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|title=WWII HOF Players – Act of Valor Award|access-date=August 18, 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008204152/https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career complete games leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career innings pitched leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career shutout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball no-hitters]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=122557|espn=17912|br=s/spahnwa01|fangraphs=1012299|brm=spahn-001war|retro=S/Pspahw101}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|spahn-warren}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|warren-spahn}}
*{{find a Grave|8124436}}

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{{succession box|title=[[List of Major League Baseball no-hitters|No-hitter pitcher]]|before=[[Lew Burdette]]<br />Warren Spahn|years=September 16, 1960<br />April 28, 1961|after=Warren Spahn<br />[[Bo Belinsky]]}}
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