With 363 career wins, Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher, and has the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era.^[2] He was a 17-time All-Star who won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 win–loss record when he was age 42.^[3] Spahn won the 1957 Cy Young Award and was a three-time runner-up during the period when only one award was given for both leagues. He won 202 games in the 1950s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.^[4] At the time of his retirement in 1965, Spahn held the Major League record for career strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.^[3]

Spahn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1973, with 82.89% of the vote.^[1] The Warren Spahn Award, given annually to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named in his honor.^[5] Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters,