Orioles ace righty Chris Tillman is making a bid to join the franchise record books in 2016.
Tillman is 14-2 so far this season and is attempting to become the Birds' first 20-game winner since righty Mike Boddicker in 1984. Granted, the accomplishment might not have the same mystique it once did. Today, pitcher wins have commonly become recognized as a flawed and somewhat meaningless statistic, since they rely on so many variables outside a pitcher's control, such as run support and bullpen performance.
For the Orioles, though, 20-win seasons have been a big part of their team history. O's pitchers have accomplished the feat 24 times, 22 of which occurred during a dominant stretch from 1968-1980 in which the Birds had at least one 20-game winner every season. They also made big league history with four 20-game winners in 1971.
Yet of all the Orioles' past 20-game winners, few have banked as many wins as quickly as Tillman. Tillman has racked up 14 wins during his first 21 games, a feat that has been matched or beaten by only two of the Birds' previous 20-game winners: left-hander Dave McNally in 1970 (14 wins during his first 21 games) and righty Steve Stone in 1980 (14 wins during his first 20 games). Stone ultimately notched 25 victories that year, the most in O's history.
