League Leaders Who Led?

All-Time MLB Earned Run Average Leaders

Career totals, every season from 1871–2026. Earned runs allowed per nine innings

Single-season leaders →

Ed Walsh is the all-time MLB leader in earned run average with 1.82, 0.07 clear of Addie Joss (1.89). He did it in 14 seasons, from 1904 to 1917. The top ten runs from 1.82 down to 2.14.

ERAWSOSVWHIPIPK/9BB/9K/BBSHOCGGSGLBBW-L%

Career rate stats are limited to players with 1,000+ innings pitched, the usual bar for all-time rate leaderboards. That is a raw total rather than a share of the schedule, so it falls unevenly across eras. Negro League seasons ran roughly 25 to 70 games against 154 or more in the American and National Leagues, and only 22 of 1,037 Negro League pitchers reach 1,000 innings. Show all players

Ed Walsh All-time MLB leader Ed Walsh 1904–1917 · 14 seasons
1.82 Earned Run Average 0.07 clear of Addie Joss
Showing the full stat line Focus on ERA
# Player Seasons ERA W L G GS SV IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP
1 Ed Walsh Ed Walsh 1904–1917 (14) 1.82 195 126 430 315 35 2964.1 2,346 598 23 617 1,736 1.00
2 Addie Joss Addie Joss 1902–1910 (9) 1.89 160 97 286 260 5 2327.0 1,888 488 19 364 920 0.97
3 Jim Devlin Jim Devlin 1875–1877 (3) 1.90 72 76 157 153 0 1405.0 1,437 296 7 90 286 1.09
4 Jack Pfiester Jack Pfiester 1903–1911 (8) 2.02 71 44 149 128 0 1067.1 869 240 6 293 503 1.09
5 Smoky Joe Wood Smoky Joe Wood 1908–1920 (11) 2.03 117 57 225 158 11 1434.1 1,138 324 10 421 989 1.09
6 Mordecai Brown Mordecai Brown 1903–1916 (14) 2.06 239 130 481 332 49 3172.1 2,708 725 43 673 1,375 1.07
7 John Ward John Ward 1878–1884 (7) 2.10 164 103 293 262 3 2469.2 2,324 576 26 253 920 1.04
8 Christy Mathewson Christy Mathewson 1900–1916 (17) 2.13 373 188 636 552 29 4788.2 4,219 1,135 90 848 2,507 1.06
9 Al Spalding Al Spalding 1871–1877 (7) 2.13 251 65 347 325 13 2886.1 3,280 684 15 164 248 1.19
10 Tommy Bond Tommy Bond 1874–1884 (10) 2.14 234 163 417 408 0 3628.2 3,765 862 50 193 972 1.09
11 Rube Waddell Rube Waddell 1897–1910 (13) 2.16 193 143 407 340 5 2961.1 2,460 711 37 803 2,316 1.10
12 Walter Johnson Walter Johnson 1907–1927 (21) 2.17 417 279 802 666 34 5914.2 4,913 1,424 97 1,363 3,509 1.06
13 Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera 1995–2013 (19) 2.21 82 60 1,115 10 652 1283.2 998 315 71 286 1,173 1.00
14 Orval Overall Orval Overall 1905–1913 (7) 2.23 108 71 218 182 12 1535.1 1,232 381 16 551 935 1.16
15 Jake Weimer Jake Weimer 1903–1909 (7) 2.23 97 69 191 180 2 1472.2 1,227 365 14 493 657 1.17
16 Will White Will White 1877–1886 (10) 2.28 229 166 403 402 0 3542.2 3,440 896 65 496 1,041 1.11
17 Ed Reulbach Ed Reulbach 1905–1917 (13) 2.28 182 106 399 300 13 2632.1 2,117 668 33 892 1,137 1.14
18 Babe Ruth Babe Ruth 1914–1933 (10) 2.28 94 46 163 148 4 1221.1 974 309 10 441 488 1.16
19 Jim Scott Jim Scott 1909–1917 (9) 2.30 107 113 317 226 9 1892.0 1,624 483 21 609 945 1.18
20 Reb Russell Reb Russell 1913–1919 (7) 2.33 81 59 242 148 13 1291.2 1,128 335 7 267 495 1.08
21 Eddie Plank Eddie Plank 1901–1917 (17) 2.35 326 194 623 529 23 4495.2 3,958 1,174 42 1,072 2,246 1.12
22 Andy Coakley Andy Coakley 1902–1911 (9) 2.35 58 59 150 124 3 1072.1 1,021 280 9 314 428 1.25
23 Larry Corcoran Larry Corcoran 1880–1887 (8) 2.36 177 89 277 268 2 2392.1 2,147 626 68 496 1,103 1.11
24 Eddie Cicotte Eddie Cicotte 1905–1920 (14) 2.38 209 149 502 361 24 3226.0 2,897 853 32 827 1,374 1.15
25 George McQuillan George McQuillan 1907–1918 (10) 2.38 85 89 273 173 14 1576.1 1,382 417 23 401 590 1.13
26 Ed Killian Ed Killian 1903–1910 (8) 2.38 103 78 214 180 4 1598.1 1,463 423 9 482 516 1.22
27 Doc White Doc White 1901–1913 (13) 2.39 189 156 427 363 5 3041.0 2,738 808 33 670 1,384 1.12
28 Harry Coveleski Harry Coveleski 1907–1918 (9) 2.39 81 55 198 151 9 1248.0 1,070 332 13 376 511 1.16
29 Nap Rucker Nap Rucker 1907–1916 (10) 2.42 134 134 336 274 14 2375.1 2,089 639 41 701 1,217 1.18
30 Candy Cummings Candy Cummings 1872–1877 (6) 2.42 145 94 242 241 0 2149.2 2,526 579 12 113 259 1.23
31 Carl Lundgren Carl Lundgren 1902–1909 (8) 2.42 91 55 179 149 6 1322.0 1,129 355 16 476 535 1.21
32 Jim McCormick Jim McCormick 1878–1887 (10) 2.43 265 214 492 485 1 4275.2 4,092 1,155 82 749 1,704 1.13
33 George Bradley George Bradley 1875–1884 (9) 2.43 172 151 347 325 2 2940.0 3,009 795 45 196 671 1.09
34 Joe Benz Joe Benz 1911–1919 (9) 2.43 76 75 251 163 3 1359.2 1,225 367 16 334 539 1.15
35 Jeff Tesreau Jeff Tesreau 1912–1918 (7) 2.43 115 72 247 206 9 1679.0 1,350 453 37 572 880 1.15
36 Terry Larkin Terry Larkin 1876–1880 (5) 2.43 89 80 176 176 0 1567.1 1,627 424 12 124 406 1.12
37 Charles Bender Charles Bender 1903–1925 (16) 2.46 212 127 459 334 34 3017.0 2,645 823 40 712 1,711 1.11
38 Sam Leever 1898–1910 (13) 2.47 194 100 388 299 13 2660.2 2,449 731 29 587 847 1.14
39 Hooks Wiltse Hooks Wiltse 1904–1915 (12) 2.47 139 90 357 225 33 2112.1 1,892 580 54 498 965 1.13
40 Lefty Leifield Lefty Leifield 1905–1920 (12) 2.47 124 97 296 216 7 1838.0 1,673 505 27 554 616 1.21
41 Hippo Vaughn Hippo Vaughn 1908–1921 (13) 2.49 178 137 390 331 5 2730.0 2,461 754 39 817 1,416 1.20
42 Bob Ewing Bob Ewing 1902–1912 (11) 2.49 124 118 291 264 4 2301.0 2,097 637 31 614 998 1.18
43 Cy Morgan Cy Morgan 1903–1913 (10) 2.51 78 78 210 172 3 1445.1 1,180 403 18 578 667 1.22
44 Ray Collins 1909–1915 (7) 2.51 84 62 199 151 4 1336.0 1,246 373 15 269 511 1.13
45 Hoyt Wilhelm Hoyt Wilhelm 1952–1972 (21) 2.52 143 122 1,070 52 227 2254.1 1,757 632 150 778 1,610 1.13
46 Clayton Kershaw Clayton Kershaw 2008–2025 (18) 2.53 223 96 455 451 0 2855.1 2,193 804 235 713 3,052 1.02
47 Lew Richie Lew Richie 1906–1913 (8) 2.54 74 65 241 136 9 1359.1 1,190 383 21 495 438 1.24
48 George Zettlein 1871–1876 (6) 2.55 129 112 250 244 3 2176.2 2,678 616 17 145 143 1.30
49 Noodles Hahn Noodles Hahn 1899–1906 (8) 2.55 130 94 243 231 0 2029.1 1,916 574 27 381 917 1.13
50 Frank Owen Frank Owen 1901–1909 (8) 2.55 82 67 194 155 2 1368.1 1,249 388 17 298 443 1.13
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