Season ERA Leaders
| current through 2006 season |
bold = active player |
|
Name |
ERA (Raw) |
Year |
Team |
League |
Rank |
|
Tim Keefe |
0.86 (0.857) |
1880 |
Troy Trojans |
NL |
1 |
|
Dutch Leonard |
0.96 (0.961) |
1914 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
2 |
|
Ed Cushman |
1.00 (1.000) |
1884 |
Milwaukee Grays |
UA |
3 |
|
Mordecai Brown |
1.04 (1.038) |
1906 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
4 |
|
Bob Gibson |
1.12 (1.123) |
1968 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
NL |
5 |
|
Christy Mathewson |
1.14 (1.144) |
1909 |
New York Giants |
NL |
6 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.14 (1.145) |
1913 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
7 |
|
Jack Pfiester |
1.15 (1.154) |
1907 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
8 |
|
Addie Joss |
1.16 (1.163) |
1908 |
Cleveland Naps |
AL |
9 |
|
Carl Lundgren |
1.17 (1.174) |
1907 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
10 |
|
Denny Driscoll |
1.21 (1.209) |
1882 |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
AA |
11 |
|
Grover Alexander |
1.22 (1.220) |
1915 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
NL |
12 |
|
George Bradley |
1.23 (1.225) |
1876 |
St. Louis Brown Stockings |
NL |
13 |
|
Cy Young |
1.26 (1.264) |
1908 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
14 |
|
Ed Walsh |
1.27 (1.266) |
1910 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
15 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.27 (1.270) |
1918 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
16 |
|
Christy Mathewson |
1.28 (1.276) |
1905 |
New York Giants |
NL |
17 |
|
Guy Hecker |
1.30 (1.298) |
1882 |
Louisville Eclipse |
AA |
18 |
|
Jack Coombs |
1.30 (1.300) |
1910 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
19 |
|
Mordecai Brown |
1.31 (1.313) |
1909 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
20 |
|
Jack Taylor |
1.33 (1.331) |
1902 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
21 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.36 (1.362) |
1910 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
22 |
|
George Bradley |
1.38 (1.378) |
1880 |
Providence Grays |
NL |
23 |
|
Old Hoss Radbourn |
1.38 (1.379) |
1884 |
Providence Grays |
NL |
24 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.39 (1.390) |
1912 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
25 |
|
Mordecai Brown |
1.39 (1.391) |
1907 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
26 |
|
Harry Krause |
1.39 (1.394) |
1909 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
27 |
|
Ed Walsh |
1.41 (1.407) |
1909 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
28 |
|
Ed Walsh |
1.42 (1.416) |
1908 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
29 |
|
Ed Reulbach |
1.42 (1.419) |
1905 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
30 |
|
Orval Overall |
1.42 (1.421) |
1909 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
31 |
|
Christy Mathewson |
1.43 (1.428) |
1908 |
New York Giants |
NL |
32 |
|
Fred Anderson |
1.44 (1.444) |
1917 |
New York Giants |
NL |
33 |
|
Mordecai Brown |
1.47 (1.470) |
1908 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
34 |
|
Rube Waddell |
1.48 (1.479) |
1905 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
35 |
|
Joe Wood |
1.49 (1.487) |
1915 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
36 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.49 (1.488) |
1919 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
37 |
|
Jack Pfiester |
1.51 (1.508) |
1906 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
38 |
|
John Ward |
1.51 (1.509) |
1878 |
Providence Grays |
NL |
39 |
|
Harry McCormick |
1.52 (1.516) |
1882 |
Cincinnati Red Stockings |
AA |
40 |
|
Doc White |
1.52 (1.518) |
1906 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
41 |
|
George McQuillan |
1.53 (1.526) |
1908 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
NL |
42 |
|
Dwight Gooden |
1.53 (1.529) |
1985 |
New York Mets |
NL |
43 |
|
Eddie Cicotte |
1.53 (1.532) |
1917 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
44 |
|
Will White |
1.54 (1.538) |
1882 |
Cincinnati Red Stockings |
AA |
45 |
|
Cy Morgan |
1.55 (1.548) |
1910 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
46 |
|
Grover Alexander |
1.55 (1.550) |
1916 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
NL |
47 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.55 (1.551) |
1915 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
48 |
|
Howie Camnitz |
1.56 (1.559) |
1908 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
NL |
49 |
|
Greg Maddux |
1.56 (1.559) |
1994 |
Atlanta Braves |
NL |
|
|
Jim Devlin |
1.56 (1.563) |
1876 |
Louisville Grays |
NL |
51 |
|
Tim Keefe |
1.58 (1.575) |
1885 |
New York Giants |
NL |
52 |
|
Fred Toney |
1.58 (1.576) |
1915 |
Cincinnati Reds |
NL |
53 |
|
Eddie Cicotte |
1.58 (1.578) |
1913 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
54 |
|
Rube Marquard |
1.58 (1.580) |
1916 |
Brooklyn Robins |
NL |
55 |
|
Chief Bender |
1.58 (1.584) |
1910 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
56 |
|
Barney Pelty |
1.59 (1.588) |
1906 |
St. Louis Browns |
AL |
57 |
|
Addie Joss |
1.59 (1.591) |
1904 |
Cleveland Blues |
AL |
58 |
|
Ed Walsh |
1.60 (1.598) |
1907 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
59 |
|
Luis Tiant |
1.60 (1.603) |
1968 |
Cleveland Indians |
AL |
60 |
|
Joe McGinnity |
1.61 (1.610) |
1904 |
New York Giants |
NL |
61 |
|
Ray Collins |
1.62 (1.619) |
1910 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
62 |
|
Rube Waddell |
1.62 (1.621) |
1904 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
63 |
|
Howie Camnitz |
1.62 (1.622) |
1909 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
NL |
64 |
|
Cy Young |
1.62 (1.624) |
1901 |
Boston Americans |
AL |
65 |
|
Greg Maddux |
1.63 (1.631) |
1995 |
Atlanta Braves |
NL |
66 |
|
Spud Chandler |
1.64 (1.636) |
1943 |
New York Yankees |
AL |
67 |
|
Ernie Shore |
1.64 (1.640) |
1915 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
68 |
|
Silver King |
1.64 (1.644) |
1888 |
St. Louis Browns |
AA |
69 |
|
Ed Summers |
1.64 (1.645) |
1908 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
70 |
|
Dean Chance |
1.65 (1.649) |
1964 |
Los Angeles Angels |
AL |
71 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.65 (1.650) |
1908 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
72 |
|
Ed Reulbach |
1.65 (1.651) |
1906 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
73 |
|
Russ Ford |
1.65 (1.652) |
1910 |
New York Highlanders |
AL |
74 |
|
Chief Bender |
1.66 (1.656) |
1909 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
75 |
|
Sam Leever |
1.66 (1.662) |
1907 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
NL |
76 |
|
Carl Hubbell |
1.66 (1.662) |
1933 |
New York Giants |
NL |
|
|
Mickey Welch |
1.66 (1.665) |
1885 |
New York Giants |
NL |
78 |
|
Otto Hess |
1.67 (1.665) |
1904 |
Cleveland Blues |
AL |
|
|
Candy Cummings |
1.67 (1.667) |
1876 |
Hartford Dark Blues |
NL |
80 |
|
Frank Killen |
1.68 (1.676) |
1891 |
Milwaukee Brewers |
AA |
81 |
|
Joe Wood |
1.68 (1.676) |
1910 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
|
|
Tommy Bond |
1.68 (1.676) |
1876 |
Hartford Dark Blues |
NL |
|
|
Orval Overall |
1.68 (1.677) |
1907 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
84 |
|
Ed Reulbach |
1.69 (1.688) |
1907 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
85 |
|
Claude Hendrix |
1.69 (1.691) |
1914 |
Chicago Whales |
FL |
86 |
|
Bill Burns |
1.69 (1.691) |
1908 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
|
|
Nolan Ryan |
1.69 (1.691) |
1981 |
Houston Astros |
NL |
|
|
Jim McCormick |
1.69 (1.692) |
1878 |
Indianapolis Browns |
NL |
89 |
|
Rube Foster |
1.70 (1.701) |
1914 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
90 |
|
Charlie Sweeney |
1.70 (1.701) |
1884 |
Providence Grays |
NL |
|
|
St. Louis Maroons |
UA |
|
|
Addie Joss |
1.71 (1.706) |
1909 |
Cleveland Naps |
AL |
92 |
|
Ed Killian |
1.71 (1.713) |
1909 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
93 |
|
Walter Johnson |
1.72 (1.719) |
1914 |
Washington Senators |
AL |
94 |
|
Ned Garvin |
1.72 (1.720) |
1904 |
Brooklyn Superbas |
NL |
95 |
|
New York Highlanders |
AL |
|
|
Doc White |
1.72 (1.722) |
1909 |
Chicago White Sox |
AL |
96 |
|
Bill Doak |
1.72 (1.723) |
1914 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
NL |
97 |
|
Grover Alexander |
1.72 (1.723) |
1919 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
|
|
Addie Joss |
1.72 (1.723) |
1906 |
Cleveland Naps |
AL |
|
|
Sandy Koufax |
1.73 (1.728) |
1966 |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
NL |
100 |
|
|
