Earned Run Average All Time Leaders by Baseball Almanac

Career Leaders for ERA / Career Leaders for Earned Run Average

Next to all time wins, the most cited pitching statistic is a pitcher's earned run average. The following dominating pitchers each have a career earned run average less than 3.00 and make up Baseball Almanac's chart of the top one-hundred (100) earned run average leaders.

"When Hall of Fame hurler Ed Walsh (#1 Ranked Career Earned Run Average Leader) was asked in 1915 for advice on pitching, he answered, 'Hook up with some good catcher.' Walsh spoke from his experience with the White Sox, where he worked with catcher Billy Sullivan." - Edward Gruver in Koufax (2000)

Earned Run Average All Time Leaders 'Top 100'
Name	ERA (Raw ERA)	Rank
Ed Walsh	1.82 (1.816)	1
Addie Joss	1.89 (1.887)	2
Jim Devlin	1.89 (1.890)	3
Jack Pfiester	2.02 (2.024)	4
Joe Wood	2.03 (2.030)	5
Mordecai Brown	2.06 (2.057)	6
John Ward	2.10 (2.102)	7
Christy Mathewson	2.13 (2.133)	8
Rube Waddell	2.16 (2.161)	9
Walter Johnson	2.17 (2.167)	10
Jake Weimer	2.23 (2.231)	11
Orval Overall	2.23 (2.233)	12
Tommy Bond	2.25 (2.250)	13
Will White	2.28 (2.276)	14
Babe Ruth	2.28 (2.277)	15
Ed Reulbach	2.28 (2.284)	16
Jim Scott	2.30 (2.298)	17
Reb Russell	2.33 (2.334)	18
Andy Coakley	2.35 (2.350)	19
Eddie Plank	2.35 (2.350)
Larry Corcoran	2.36 (2.355)	21
George McQuillan	2.38 (2.381)	22
Eddie Cicotte	2.38 (2.382)	23
Ed Killian	2.38 (2.382)
Doc White	2.39 (2.391)	25
Harry Coveleski	2.39 (2.394)	26
Carl Lundgren	2.42 (2.417)	27
Nap Rucker	2.42 (2.421)	28
Jeff Tesreau	2.43 (2.428)	29
Joe Benz	2.43 (2.429)	30
Jim McCormick	2.43 (2.431)	31
Terry Larkin	2.43 (2.435)	32
Chief Bender	2.46 (2.455)	33
Hooks Wiltse	2.47 (2.471)	34
Sam Leever	2.47 (2.473)	35
Lefty Leifield	2.47 (2.473)
Hippo Vaughn	2.49 (2.486)	37
Bob Ewing	2.49 (2.492)	38
George Bradley	2.50 (2.500)	39
Cy Morgan	2.51 (2.509)	40
Ray Collins	2.51 (2.513)	41
Hoyt Wilhelm	2.52 (2.523)	42
Lew Richie	2.54 (2.536)	43
Noodles Hahn	2.55 (2.546)	44
Frank Owen	2.55 (2.552)	45
Grover Alexander	2.56 (2.560)	46
Slim Sallee	2.56 (2.564)	47
Deacon Phillippe	2.59 (2.586)	48
Russ Ford	2.59 (2.590)	49
Frank Smith	2.59 (2.593)	50
Ed Siever	2.60 (2.598)	51
Bob Rhoads	2.61 (2.612)	52
Fred Glade	2.62 (2.618)	53
Tim Keefe	2.62 (2.624)	54
Cy Young	2.63 (2.627)	55
Vic Willis	2.63 (2.628)	56
Red Ames	2.63 (2.629)	57
Barney Pelty	2.63 (2.632)	58
Claude Hendrix	2.65 (2.649)	59
Joe McGinnity	2.66 (2.657)	60
Dick Rudolph	2.66 (2.657)
Jack Taylor	2.66 (2.662)	62
Pete Schneider	2.66 (2.663)	63
Carl Weilman	2.67 (2.669)	64
Nick Altrock	2.67 (2.669)
Charlie Ferguson	2.67 (2.674)	66
Old Hoss Radbourn	2.67 (2.675)	67
Johnny Lush	2.68 (2.680)	68
Cy Falkenberg	2.68 (2.682)	69
Jack Chesbro	2.68 (2.684)	70
Fred Toney	2.69 (2.689)	71
Bill Donovan	2.69 (2.690)	72
Larry Cheney	2.70 (2.698)	73
Vean Gregg	2.70 (2.701)	74
Mickey Welch	2.71 (2.712)	75
Ned Garvin	2.72 (2.718)	76
Bob Wicker	2.73 (2.726)	77
Fred Goldsmith	2.73 (2.729)	78
Nick Cullop	2.73 (2.733)	79
Harry Howell	2.74 (2.738)	80
Whitey Ford	2.75 (2.745)	81
Dummy Taylor	2.75 (2.747)	82
Howie Camnitz	2.75 (2.749)	83
Roy Patterson	2.75 (2.749)
Babe Adams	2.76 (2.755)	85
Dutch Leonard	2.76 (2.759)	86
Dan Quisenberry	2.76 (2.760)	87
Sandy Koufax	2.76 (2.761)	88
Jeff Pfeffer	2.77 (2.774)	89
Al Demaree	2.77 (2.775)	90
Earl Moore	2.78 (2.775)
Jack Coombs	2.78 (2.781)	92
Ed Karger	2.79 (2.787)	93
Jesse Tannehill	2.79 (2.788)	94
Ron Perranoski	2.79 (2.789)	95
Tully Sparks	2.79 (2.794)	96
Frank Corridon	2.80 (2.798)	97
Phil Douglas	2.80 (2.803)	98
Pedro Martinez	2.80 (2.804)	99
John Clarkson	2.81 (2.811)	100
Name	ERA (Raw ERA)	Rank
Current Through 2007 Season

Two unique items of interest on this page are active pitcher Pedro Martinez, who is hanging strong at seventy-sixth with fourteen years of experience, and Babe Ruth, a 500 Home Runs Club member sitting here at fifteenth.

Did you know that in 1968 hall of fame pitcher Bob Gibson's earned run average was 1.12 which is the record for lowest earned run average ever by a right handed pitcher during a single season with a minimum of three-hundred (300) innings pitched.

In 1914 Dutch Leonard's, eighty-seventh on the career ERA leaderboard, earned run average was 0.96 which is the record for lowest earned run average ever with a minimum of two-hundred (200) innings pitched.

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