Single Season Leaders for Runs Allowed

A common goal most every pitcher has during the regular season when he places his cleat on the rubber and lets the ball loose is to win. By any means necessary. While seeking that goal a pitcher is often apt to allow a few runs. Maybe even more than a few...

Allowing runs is never a pitcher's goal, but it is a reality of the art pitching and Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred all time runs allowed during a single season leaders. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the pitcher was active during the previous Major League season.
"Despite his sober demeanor off the field (he did not drink, smoke, or gamble), (Tony) Mullane was a free spirit who routinely ignored the game's reserve clause." - Author A.D. Suehsdorf on BasebalLibrary.com
Runs Allowed
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
John Coleman 510 1883 Philadelphia Phillies NL 1
Will White 404 1879 Cincinnati Reds NL 2
Bobby Mathews 395 1876 New York Mutuals NL 3
Phenomenal Smith 369 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA 4
Pud Galvin 367 1883 Buffalo Bisons NL 5
George Bradley 361 1879 Troy Trojans NL 6
Al Mays 359 1887 New York Metropolitans AA 7
Mark Baldwin 358 1889 Columbus Colts AA 8
Kid Carsey 358 1891 Washington Senators AA  
Toad Ramsey 358 1887 Louisville Colonels AA  
Henry Gruber 352 1890 Cleveland Infants PL 11
Billy Crowell 350 1887 Cleveland Blues AA 12
Matt Kilroy 350 1886 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Larry McKeon 350 1884 Indianapolis Blues AA  
Frank Mountain 345 1883 Columbus Colts AA 15
Lee Richmond 343 1882 Worcester Ruby Legs NL 16
Gus Weyhing 342 1887 Philadelphia Athletics AA 17
Mike Morrison 341 1887 Cleveland Blues AA 18
Hardie Henderson 339 1883 Baltimore Orioles AA 19
Philadelphia Phillies NL
Jersey Bakely 338 1884 Kansas City Unions UA 20
Philadelphia Keystones UA
Wilmington Quicksteps UA
Henry Porter 336 1888 Kansas City Blues AA 21
Park Swartzel 334 1889 Kansas City Blues AA 22
George Cobb 333 1892 Baltimore Orioles NL 23
Fleury Sullivan 328 1884 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA 24
Bob Barr 327 1884 Indianapolis Blues AA 25
Washington Nationals AA
Matt Kilroy 326 1887 Baltimore Orioles AA 26
Will White 323 1880 Cincinnati Reds NL 27
Stump Wiedman 323 1886 Kansas City Cowboys NL  
Mark Baldwin 322 1890 Chicago Pirates PL 29
Jersey Bakely 321 1888 Cleveland Blues AA 30
Mickey Welch 321 1880 Troy Trojans NL  
Bill Hutchison 316 1892 Chicago Colts NL 32
Bill Hutchison 315 1890 Chicago Colts NL 33
Tony Mullane 315 1886 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Hardie Henderson 311 1885 Baltimore Orioles AA 35
Jim Devlin 309 1876 Louisville Grays NL 36
Jim McCormick 308 1879 Cleveland Blues NL 37
Kid Nichols 308 1894 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Adonis Terry 308 1884 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Jersey Bakely 307 1890 Cleveland Infants PL 40
George Haddock 307 1890 Buffalo Bisons PL  
Jack Lynch 307 1886 New York Metropolitans AA  
Pink Hawley 306 1894 St. Louis Browns NL 43
Old Hoss Radbourn 305 1887 Boston Beaneaters NL 44
Lee Richmond 302 1881 Worcester Ruby Legs NL 45
Ed Beatin 300 1890 Cleveland Spiders NL 46
John Harkins 300 1884 Cleveland Blues NL  
Old Hoss Radbourn 300 1886 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Amos Rusie 300 1890 New York Giants NL  
Pud Galvin 299 1879 Buffalo Bisons NL 50
Tommy Bond 298 1880 Boston Red Caps NL 51
Charlie Ferguson 297 1884 Philadelphia Phillies NL 52
Toad Ramsey 297 1886 Louisville Colonels AA  
John Ewing 296 1889 Louisville Colonels AA 54
Bill Sweeney 294 1884 Baltimore Monumentals UA 55
Bert Cunningham 293 1890 Buffalo Bisons PL 56
Philadelphia Quakers PL
Ed Seward 293 1887 Philadelphia Athletics AA  
John Healy 292 1887 Indianapolis Hoosiers NL 58
Jim Whitney 292 1886 Kansas City Cowboys NL  
Brickyard Kennedy 291 1894 Brooklyn Bridegrooms NL 60
Harry McCormick 291 1879 Syracuse Stars NL  
Al Atkinson 288 1886 Philadelphia Athletics AA 62
Jim Devlin 288 1877 Louisville Grays NL  
Lon Knight 288 1876 Philadelphia Athletics NL  
Terry Larkin 288 1878 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Amos Rusie 288 1892 New York Giants NL  
Red Ehret 287 1889 Louisville Colonels AA 67
Larry Corcoran 286 1884 Chicago White Stockings NL 68
Frank Killen 286 1892 Washington Senators NL  
Jim Whitney 286 1885 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Terry Larkin 285 1877 Hartford Dark Blues NL 71
Billy Serad 285 1884 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Jim Whitney 284 1881 Boston Red Caps NL 73
John Clarkson 283 1887 Chicago White Stockings NL 74
Bill Hutchison 283 1891 Chicago Colts NL  
Matt Kilroy 283 1889 Baltimore Orioles AA  
Frank Dwyer 282 1894 Cincinnati Reds NL 77
Chick Fraser 282 1896 Louisville Colonels NL  
Jack Taylor 282 1896 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Larry Corcoran 281 1883 Chicago White Stockings NL 80
Pud Galvin 281 1880 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Dupee Shaw 281 1884 Boston Unions UA  
Detroit Wolverines NL
John Clarkson 280 1889 Boston Beaneaters NL 83
Ed Crane 280 1890 New York Giants PL  
Win Mercer 280 1895 Washington Senators NL  
Mickey Welch 279 1886 New York Giants NL 86
Mark Baldwin 278 1891 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 87
Win Mercer 278 1894 Washington Senators NL  
Toad Ramsey 278 1888 Louisville Colonels AA  
Lee Richmond 278 1880 Worcester Ruby Legs NL  
Jack Stivetts 278 1894 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Duke Esper 277 1893 Washington Senators NL 92
Terry Larkin 277 1879 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Henry Porter 277 1886 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers AA  
Ed Crane 276 1892 New York Giants NL 95
Tony Mullane 276 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings AA  
Bert Cunningham 275 1888 Baltimore Orioles AA 97
Old Hoss Radbourn 275 1883 Providence Grays NL  
Mickey Welch 275 1884 New York Gothams NL  
Kid Carsey 274 1895 Philadelphia Phillies NL 100
Jim McCormick 274 1880 Cleveland Blues NL  
Jim McCormick 274 1882 Cleveland Blues NL  
Current Through 2005 Season


Why did John Coleman have such a tough season in 1883? Perhaps it was because the 1883 Philadelphia Phillies, who played ninety-eight games and lost eighty-one of them, started Coleman in sixty-one of the ninety-eight games and made him throw fifty-nine complete games.

Will White is as unique a case as Coleman. He pitched for the 1879 Cincinnati Reds and knew what he had to do - start & finish every inning of every game as there were NO other pitchers on their roster!

The record for fewest runs allowed in a single season by the league leader belongs to George Smith of the Philadelphia Phillies who only allowed one-hundred two runs in 1919 and Jim Bagby of the Cleveland Indians who only allowed one-hundred eight runs in 1918.
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