Career Tough Luck Loss Leaders (since 1950)

Links are to Baseball-Reference. Leaderboard generated using B-Ref’s Play Index. The numbers listed in the columns on the right are each pitcher’s stats in his TLL games only.

UPDATE: I’ve run the numbers again to include the 2011 season, though there’s only 1 change: Livan Hernandez (2 TLLs in 2011) enters the bottom of the list. He’s the only active player included on the list… and even that’s assuming he plays another year. The next-highest active pitcher is Javier Vazquez, who has 11 career TLLs after earning 1 in 2011. Dan Haren has 10, and Bartolo Colon and Josh Beckett are both at 9.

Obviously, there’s a big difference between eras here. TLLs were much easier to accrue in the ’50s and ’60s, when the mound was higher and starters were allowed to go more innings.

Since 1990, Steve Trachsel is the TLL leader with 16, edging Jamie Moyer (15), Roger Clemens (14), and Greg Maddux (13). Anytime “Steve Trachsel” is at the top of a list–ahead of multiple Hall of Famers, no less–you have a truly strange factoid. This is why I love TLLs.

Also, I think it’s interesting that Bert Blyleven easily tops Jack Morris in TLLs. That (plus Morris being the all-time leader in Dumb Luck Wins) really says a lot about their differing levels of run support in their careers.