Three MLB pitching feats we may never see again

On Friday in Glendale, Ariz., the Los Angeles Dodgers will be the first MLB team to welcome pitchers and catchers to spring training. All other batterymates will report to their facilities by next week.
With that in mind, here are three pitching categories listed in order from most likely to be seen again to least likely. 

More than one 20-game winner

There has been one 20-game winner in MLB in each of the past three seasons. Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves was the lone member of that club in 2023 with a 20-5 record.  The last time the league saw two 20-game winners in the same campaign was in 2019, when teammates Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole of the Houston Astros won 21 and 20 games, respectively.

From 2000-2019, there were only five occurrences when at least two hurlers were unable to win 20 times in a season.  Keep in mind that the last time a pitcher won at least 20 games in back-to-back seasons was Houston's Roy Oswalt in 2004 and 2005. Strider will attempt to be the first pitcher in 19 years to accomplish that feat this season, but if the current trend continues, he won't be part of any duo that ends this multi-20-game winner cold streak in '24.

Only one 20-game loser

MLB has witnessed just one 20-game loser this century, in 2003. Tigers southpaw Mike Maroth went 9-21 and became the first player to lose at least 20 times in a year since Oakland's Brian Kingman went 8-20 in 1980. 

Twenty-game losers over the past 40-plus seasons have been rare. In the 1970s it was far more common as 14 pitchers that decade lost 20 or more times. Washington's Patrick Corbin lost 19 games in 2022 and is the only hurler to hit that number in the past seven years.  

In 2023, Kansas City's Jordan Lyles looked well on his way to a 20-loss campaign after starting 0-11 before winning his first contest in late June. The Royals' right-hander finished 6-17.

One 250 innings pitched in a season

This leaves us with the final feat. Based on the fact that only five pitchers managed to throw 200 or more frames in 2023, it's safe to assume this mark will never be reached again (San Francisco's Logan Webb led the majors with 216 innings pitched last season.)

Although this accomplishment occurred more recently in MLB history than a pitcher losing 20 games has, the probability of a hurler tossing 250 innings in a season again is about zero.  In 2011, Verlander was the last player to reach at least that many innings when he threw 251 frames with Detroit.  He made 34 starts that season and averaged 7.38 innings pitched per game. Compare that to last year with Webb, who made 33 starts for 6.54 IP/game.  

The old-school goal of 35 starts per year is shrinking with each passing season, but even if a starting hurler gets that many opportunities in the future, he must average just over seven innings pitched per start to reach 250 frames. 

Last year, Miles Mikolas of the St. Louis Cardinals was the first hurler to make 35 starts in a campaign since 2018, and yet he only managed to throw 201.1 innings. If the days of 35 or more starts are coming to an end, then even with 34 opportunities (see Verlander above) the IP/game would need to be higher.  It's not happening.