Earned Run Average : 1966 National League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Maybe I missed my routine and my game so much that I was trying to rationalize reasons for getting it back. I wanted those 162 games. I wanted all the suspense of the playoff and home run races. And I honestly didn't believe baseball would bend far enough to allow the possibility of games in November. I was wrong. And baseball was right." - Paul White in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 14, 2001)
 

1966 Earned Run Average Leaders

Top 25 in the National League

Sandy Koufax 1.73 (1.7276) Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Mike Cuellar 2.22 (2.2170) Houston Astros 2
Juan Marichal 2.23 (2.2256) San Francisco Giants 3
Jim Bunning 2.41 (2.4076) Philadelphia Phillies 4
Bob Gibson 2.44 (2.4400) St. Louis Cardinals 5
Al Jackson 2.51 (2.5143) St. Louis Cardinals 6
Jim Maloney 2.80 (2.8042) Cincinnati Reds 7
Claude Osteen 2.85 (2.8461) Los Angeles Dodgers 8
Bobby Bolin 2.89 (2.8886) San Francisco Giants 9
Don Sutton 2.99 (2.9911) Los Angeles Dodgers 10
Gaylord Perry 2.99 (2.9922) San Francisco Giants 11
Bob Veale 3.02 (3.0186) Pittsburgh Pirates 12
Larry Dierker 3.18 (3.1765) Houston Astros 13
Dennis Ribant 3.20 (3.2018) New York Mets 14
Ken Johnson 3.30 (3.2967) Atlanta Braves 15
Larry Jackson 3.32 (3.3176) Chicago Cubs 16
Philadelphia Phillies  
Fergie Jenkins 3.32 (3.3201) Philadelphia Phillies 17
Chicago Cubs  
Don Drysdale 3.42 (3.4202) Los Angeles Dodgers 18
Chris Short 3.54 (3.5404) Philadelphia Phillies 19
Jack Fisher 3.68 (3.6783) New York Mets 20
Denny Lemaster 3.74 (3.7368) Atlanta Braves 21
Ray Washburn 3.76 (3.7588) St. Louis Cardinals 22
Ken Holtzman 3.79 (3.7930) Chicago Cubs 23
Woodie Fryman 3.81 (3.8147) Pittsburgh Pirates 24
Dick Ellsworth 3.98 (3.9765) Chicago Cubs 25



Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

The most recognizable Detroit Tiger to wear the number twenty-five was probably Norm Cash (who wore it from 1960 through 1974), but did you know that Hall of Famer Larry Doby also wore it during his single season with Detroit?

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.