Wins measures the total number of games in which a pitcher is awarded the win for their pitching appearance. For a pitcher to be awarded the win they must have pitched prior to the half-inning when their team took the lead for the last time. The starting pitcher must have pitched five innings and if not the official scorer will award the win to the relief pitcher considered most effective in the win.
More about Wins Leaders
Pitching wins leaders are those most likely to be credited with a “win” from a game (each game must have one pitcher from the winning team given a “win” and one pitcher from the losing team given a “loss”). In many instances, the pitcher who should be credited with the win is pretty straightforward – if a pitcher pitches a complete game, for example, and his team wins, there is no one else who should be given the win. However, in a game where there may have been a number of lead changes, or one team came back from a significant deficit, the pitcher who should be credited with the win is a bit more complicated. Since starting pitchers do not pitch as many innings per start as in the past (and thus it is more likely for a lead change to take place after a starter leaves the game), relievers are more likely to be credited with a win (or a loss) than a generation ago.
