After being stuck on 295 wins for a month and a half, Tom Glavine has won two straight starts, and it’s a foregone conclusion that he will become baseball’s 23rd 300-game winner in short order. Sadly, once he does we may never see the feat again. After Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux and now Glavine and Randy Johnson have made their march to the cusp of 300, there are no more veterans on a collision course with the milestone.

With 284 wins, it is not even guaranteed that Johnson will reach the mark. The Big Unit is only 16 victories shy and has pitched well in 2007, but his balky back has flared up on multiple occasions this year. Considering Johnson’s determined (and abrasive) reputation he may stick around long enough to reach the mark even if it takes two or three more injury-riddled seasons. He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and it would be a surprise if he called it quits before win number 300, but don’t put him on the list in Sharpie just yet.

After Glavine—and perhaps Johnson—reach the mark, there are no other veterans for whom the plateau is imminent.

Mike Mussina? Nope. Moose has always been a great competitor and has the fourth most wins among active pitchers (behind Clemens, Maddux, Glavine and Johnson), but his recent struggles, age (38), and long road to go (243 wins to date), rule him out.

David Wells? He can give you a good game when he’s tired, hurt, or even hungover, so his advancing age (he’s 44) doesn’t rule him out. Still, even if Wells were to pitch until he’s 50, he would be hard pressed to come up with the 67 wins he needs to join the elite club. Sorry Boomer.

Next up among active pitchers is Jamie Moyer with 223 wins and Curt Schilling at 213. Neither is young enough to make a serious run at the mark and Schilling is having injury problems.

Pedro Martinez, one of the most dominant pitchers of the last decade, is a far cry from the mark with only 206 wins. He should still make the Hall, but he won’t sniff 300.

Yankee lefty Andy Pettitte is an interesting case, since he has 190 wins at 35. If he follows in the footsteps of his buddy Clemens and pitches into his 40s, Pettitte could reach 300 by averaging about 13 wins over the next 8 seasons. Still, that’s a little much to ask from a guy who has already hinted at retirement, so don’t count on it.

With the pitchers closest to the milestone unlikely to reach it, the natural inclination is to turn toward younger stars that are on pace to join the 300 Club. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to imagine any of today’s top pitchers reaching the mark.
 
Just as the dilution of pitching talent, performance-enhancing drugs, and smaller stadiums have led to the cheapening of the 500 home run plateau, the 5-man rotation, the rise of middle relief, and the emphasis on pitch counts have made the 300-game winner a dying breed.