Reds' Johnny Cueto Becomes Franchise's 1st 20-Game Winner Since 1988

Although the Cincinnati Reds had what was largely a season to forget in 2014, pitcher Johnny Cueto was able to record arguably the best season of his career. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 20-9 record—for a Reds team that only won 76 games—to go along with a 2.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

Per MLB Stat of the Day, Cueto is the first 20-game winner for the Reds since Danny Jackson posted a 23-8 record in the 1988 season. Additionally, Cueto's 2.25 ERA is the lowest for a Reds' 20-game winner since Dolf Luque's posted a 27-8 record and 1.93 ERA during the 1923 campaign.

Cueto flirted with 20 wins back in 2012 when he posted a 19-9 record, but he took a step back in an injury-plagued 2013, only managing 60.2 regular-season innings last year.

The Dominican Republic native bounced back in a big way this season, leading Reds starting pitchers in nearly every statistical category, including an impressive 242 strikeouts. Per Fangraphs, Cueto's 8.94 K/9 rate in 2014 was the best he has ever posted.

Much of the righty's success can be attributed to his fast beginning to 2014, as Cueto posted an untouchable 1.15 ERA over his first six starts, allowing opposing hitters to bat just .136 during that time. Despite the dominant stretch, the Reds' ace was only able to record two wins over that span.

Cueto then logged three victories in both May and June and proceeded to win four games in each of the season's final three months. His best stretch in terms of wins came from July 13 to August 15, when he recorded seven victories and a no-decision in eight starts.

The 20-game winner club in the National League in 2014 consisted of Cueto, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals. Per MLB Stat of the Day, this was the first season since 2005 in which three NL pitchers have recorded 20 victories.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise specified.