These are the most unusual pitcher wins of 2023

It’s Thanksgiving weekend, which means it’s time to take stock of what we’re thankful for. Every baseball fan is familiar with certain moments, outcomes and games attributed to luck -- things that feel extra worthy of gratefulness. Sometimes, it’s a ball that seems like a certain flyout off the bat carrying for a homer. Other times, it’s a pitcher earning the win on a day he wasn’t at his best.

Whether it’s thanks to strong run support, a well-placed line drive, or a lucky bounce, sometimes you end up in the win column regardless of how well you pitched. To be clear: a win is a win, and this is all in good fun. But sometimes a box score line really stands out, and taking a look at these has become an annual tradition. We did this in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

• These 11 hitters were grateful for this year's luckiest hits

With those concepts in mind, here are seven times a pitcher had reason to give thanks this season.

Jack Flaherty, STL: April 1 vs. Blue Jays
Stats: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 7 BB
Final score: STL 4, TOR 1

Of course, when you don’t allow a hit, you’d hope to be in position to get a win. But take a look at that line. Flaherty’s seven walks were tied for the most by a pitcher who got a win this season (Dylan Cease, Aug. 7 and Charlie Morton, Aug. 11), and he was the first to do it. Before 2023, no pitcher had won a game where he walked seven batters since Adam Wainwright, also for the Cards, in June 2019. Since outings where a pitcher is removed with a no-hit bid intact are a newer phenomenon, let’s look at pitchers with at least seven walks and no hits allowed through five innings pitched – regardless of their final lines. Flaherty’s was one of 11 such starts in the last 50 seasons. Incredibly, the aforementioned Cease outing also had this line through five.

Ken Waldichuk, OAK: May 6 vs. Royals
Stats: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 6 BB
Final score: OAK 5, KC 4

Waldichuk allowed 13 baserunners, tied for the most by a winning pitcher this season (J.P. France on June 10, Justin Steele on Aug. 6 and Ty Blach on Sept. 2), and he was the first to do it. The 13 consisted of six hits, six walks and a reached on error. Despite the traffic, Waldichuk only allowed runs in two innings: one in the first and three in the fourth. But his offense took a 2-1 lead in the second and had made it 5-1 by the time the three runs crossed against him in the fourth. The bullpen protected the one-run lead, and Waldichuk won.

Michael Kopech, CWS: May 7 at Reds
Stats: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB
Final score: CHW 17, CIN 4

Those four runs on Kopech’s line? They came as a result of four solo home runs, making him the first of three pitchers to win a game while allowing four dingers this season (Shohei Ohtani on July 21 and Bryce Miller on July 26). You know when allowing four solo homers really doesn’t matter? When your team has an 11-run second inning, the White Sox highest-scoring frame since an 11-run fifth in 2007. The White Sox ended up with 17 runs, all scored while Kopech was in the game. That’ll put any starter in a good spot to win.

Taijuan Walker, PHI: May 26 at Braves
Stats: 6 2/3 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Final score: PHI 6, ATL 4

Walker’s 10 hits allowed were tied for the most by a winning pitcher in 2023 with six others. Walker was the first to do it. Walker allowed at least one hit in each inning he pitched except for the third. He also induced two double plays to get out of jams. The Phillies took the lead for good in the top of the sixth on a bases-loaded two-run single from Brandon Marsh, and by the time Walker departed in the seventh, they led, 6-3.

Anthony DeSclafani, SF: May 29 vs. Pirates
Stats: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB
Final score: SF 14, PIT 4

DeSclafani didn’t just allow eight hits, he allowed six extra-base hits, tied for the most by a pitcher who got a win this season (Kopech on May 7, Miller on July 26 and Jordan Lyles on Aug. 4). Only one of those six was a home run, though, and it was solo, which contributed to the positive outcome. He also allowed four doubles and a triple. They were mostly spread out, aside from two innings that included multiple Pirates extra-base hits. When DeSclafani left the game, it was 6-3 Giants. But in the bottom of the seventh, when he was still the pitcher of record, the Giants tacked on eight more runs to make it 14-3 and leave no doubt.

Joe Musgrove, SD: July 9 vs. Mets
Stats: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB
Final score: SD 6, NYM 2

At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be much to be thankful for here, other than perhaps an offense that racked up six runs. But while Musgrove didn't walk anybody, he did hit four batters with pitches. That’s the most by a pitcher who got the win in a game in 2023. In fact, it’s tied for the most by a winning pitcher since at least 1901. It was the 16th instance and third in the last 20 seasons, joining a 2017 John Lackey start and a 2005 Orlando Hernández start. He was otherwise practically spotless, with just three hits and no walks allowed. Of those 16 four-HBP wins, Musgrove is one of two to allow fewer hits than batters hit. Pedro Astacio allowed two hits on April 22, 2001, in a game where he hit four D-backs batters and won for the Rockies.

Mitch Keller, PIT: Sept. 20 at Cubs
Stats: 5 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB
Final score: PIT 13, CHC 7

Keller’s seven runs were the most given up by a pitcher who got a win this season and tied with an Alex Cobb start in 2022 for the most by a winning pitcher in a game since the start of ‘20. Of course, it helped that by the time Keller allowed five of those seven runs in the fifth inning on a solo homer and a grand slam, the Pirates had already turned in a high-scoring frame of their own, with a seven-run fourth. Keller departed with an 11-6 lead, which became 11-7 when his one inherited runner scored. A four-run lead is a decent one, no matter the totals on either side, and the bullpen kept the Cubs off the board, sealing Keller’s win.