The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 21. Jack Quinn, 1919-33 (35-49)
- 163 wins (163-144)
- 23 shutouts
- 39.3 WAR
- 51 saves and 161 games finished
In researching the career of Jack Quinn, it’s difficult to obtain accurate information surrounding his age, dates played in MLB, or even his real name. According to Charles F. Faber of SABR, Quinn lived a very private life outside of professional baseball. As a result, there’s no definitive answer on Quinn’s birth name, birth date, and birthplace. For sake of this list, however, we’ll go with the information provided by Baseball-Reference.
Quinn spent 15 seasons in the MLB following his 35th birthday and pretty much did it all on the mound. He operated as both a starting pitcher and reliever (the MLB hadn’t experienced the evolution of the closer role yet). In those 15 seasons, Quinn pitched to 163 wins in close to 300 starts. He saw action in a total of 536 games, finishing 161 and earning 51 saves. The two-time World Series champion also owned 23 shutouts during that span.
Like a number of pitchers who played in the early 1900s, Quinn was exceptional at preventing home runs. Throughout his 22-year career, Quinn gave up just 0.2 home runs per nine innings. From his 35th birthday on, that number rose to just 0.3 home runs per nine. Quinn’s 39.3 WAR after the age of 35 ranks seventh on the all-time list.