List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders

Ed Walsh, the career leader in earned run average.

In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. Runs resulting from defensive errors (including pitchers' defensive errors) are recorded as unearned runs and are not used to determine ERA.

This is a list of the top 100 players in career earned run average, who have thrown at least 1,000 innings.

Ed Walsh holds the MLB earned run average record with a 1.816. Addie Joss (1.887) and Jim Devlin (1.896) are the only other pitcher with a career earned run average under 2.000.

Key

Rank Rank amongst leaders in career earned run average. A blank field indicates a tie.
Player Name of player.
ERA Total career earned run average.
* denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold denotes active player.[lower-alpha 1]

List

Clayton Kershaw, the active leader and 24th all time in career earned run average.
Rank Player ERA
1 Ed Walsh * 1.816
2 Addie Joss * 1.887
3 Jim Devlin 1.896
4 Jack Pfiester 2.024
5 Smoky Joe Wood 2.033
6 Mordecai Brown * 2.057
7 John Montgomery Ward * 2.099
8 Christy Mathewson * 2.133
Al Spalding * 2.133
10 Tommy Bond 2.138
11 Rube Waddell * 2.161
12 Walter Johnson * 2.167
13 Mariano Rivera 2.209
14 Jake Weimer 2.231
15 Orval Overall 2.233
16 Will White 2.276
17 Babe Ruth * 2.277
18 Ed Reulbach 2.284
19 Jim Scott 2.298
20 Reb Russell 2.334
21 Andy Coakley 2.350
Eddie Plank * 2.350
23 Larry Corcoran 2.355
24 Clayton Kershaw 2.368
25 Eddie Cicotte 2.380
26 George McQuillan 2.381
27 Ed Killian 2.382
28 Doc White 2.391
29 Harry Coveleski 2.394
30 Carl Lundgren 2.417
31 Nap Rucker 2.421
32 Candy Cummings * 2.424
33 Jeff Tesreau 2.428
34 Joe Benz 2.429
35 Jim McCormick 2.431
36 George Bradley 2.434
37 Terry Larkin 2.455
38 Chief Bender * 2.455
39 Hooks Wiltse 2.471
40 Sam Leever 2.473
Lefty Leifield 2.473
42 Hippo Vaughn 2.486
43 Bob Ewing 2.492
44 Cy Morgan 2.509
45 Ray Collins 2.513
46 Hoyt Wilhelm * 2.523
47 Lew Richie 2.536
48 Noodles Hahn 2.546
49 George Zettlein 2.547
50 Frank Owen 2.552
Rank Player ERA
51 Grover Cleveland Alexander * 2.560
52 Slim Sallee 2.564
53 Deacon Phillippe 2.586
54 Russ Ford 2.590
55 Frank Smith 2.593
56 Ed Siever 2.598
57 Bob Rhoads 2.612
58 Cherokee Fisher 2.613
59 Fred Glade 2.618
60 Tim Keefe * 2.627
Cy Young * 2.627
62 Vic Willis * 2.628
63 Red Ames 2.629
64 Barney Pelty 2.632
65 Claude Hendrix 2.649
66 Jack Taylor 2.653
67 Joe McGinnity 2.657
Dick Rudolph 2.657
69 Pete Schneider 2.663
70 Nick Altrock 2.669
Carl Weilman 2.669
72 Charlie Ferguson 2.674
73 Charles Radbourn * 2.678
74 Johnny Lush 2.680
75 Cy Falkenberg 2.682
76 Jack Chesbro * 2.684
77 Fred Toney 2.689
78 Bill Donovan 2.690
79 Larry Cheney 2.698
80 Vean Gregg 2.701
81 Dick McBride 2.706
82 Mickey Welch * 2.712
83 Ned Garvin 2.718
84 Bob Wicker 2.726
85 Fred Goldsmith 2.729
86 Nick Cullop 2.733
87 Harry Howell 2.738
88 Whitey Ford * 2.745
89 Dummy Taylor 2.747
90 Howie Camnitz 2.749
Roy Patterson 2.749
92 Babe Adams 2.755
93 Dutch Leonard 2.759
94 Dan Quisenberry 2.759
95 Sandy Koufax * 2.761
96 Jeff Pfeffer 2.774
97 Al Demaree 2.775
Earl Moore 2.775
99 Jack Coombs 2.781
100 Ed Karger 2.787

See also

Notes

  1. A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or not played for a full season.

References

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