MLB Single-Season Earned Run Average Record Progression

Every season that raised the bar, and the leader in every season between.

The MLB single-season earned run average record is 0.00, set by Bullet Campbell in 1928. It has stood for 97 years. The mark has been raised 6 times since 1871.

ERA W SO SV WHIP IP K/9 BB/9 K/BB SHO CG GS G L BB W-L%

Record Holders

7 marks since 1871

Year	Player	ERA	Stood for
1928	Bullet Campbell	0.00	still standing
1880	Tim Keefe	0.86	48 years
1876	George Bradley	1.23	4 years
1875	Pidgey Morgan	1.29	1 year
1874	Dick McBride	1.64	1 year
1872	Cherokee Fisher	1.80	2 years
1871	George Zettlein	2.73	1 year

The earliest marks here are records only in the sense that nobody had done better yet. Season length, schedule and the rules themselves have all changed, so a figure from the 1870s is not comparable with a modern one and is not offered as though it were.

Every Season

157 seasons

Year	Leader	ERA
2025	Paul Skenes	1.97
2024	Chris Sale	2.38
2023	Blake Snell	2.25
2022	Justin Verlander	1.75
2021	Corbin Burnes	2.43
2020	Shane Bieber	1.63
2019	Hyun Jin Ryu	2.32
2018	Jacob deGrom	1.70
2017	Corey Kluber	2.25
2016	Kyle Hendricks	2.13
2015	Zack Greinke	1.66
2014	Clayton Kershaw	1.77
2013	Clayton Kershaw	1.83
2012	Clayton Kershaw	2.53
2011	Clayton Kershaw	2.28
2010	Felix Hernandez	2.27
2009	Zack Greinke	2.16
2008	Johan Santana	2.53
2007	Jake Peavy	2.54
2006	Johan Santana	2.77
2005	Roger Clemens	1.87
2004	Jake Peavy	2.27
2003	Pedro Martinez	2.22
2002	Pedro Martinez	2.26
2001	Randy Johnson	2.49
2000	Pedro Martinez	1.74
1999	Pedro Martinez	2.07
1998	Greg Maddux	2.22
1997	Pedro Martinez	1.90
1996	Kevin Brown	1.89
1995	Greg Maddux	1.63
1994	Greg Maddux	1.56
1993	Greg Maddux	2.36
1992	Bill Swift	2.08
1991	Dennis Martinez	2.39
1990	Roger Clemens	1.93
1989	Bret Saberhagen	2.16
1988	Joe Magrane	2.18
1987	Nolan Ryan	2.76
1987	Jimmy Key	2.76
1986	Mike Scott	2.22
1985	Dwight Gooden	1.53
1984	Alejandro Peña	2.48
1983	Atlee Hammaker	2.25
1982	Steve Rogers	2.40
1981	Nolan Ryan	1.69
1980	Don Sutton	2.20
1979	J. R. Richard	2.71
1978	Ron Guidry	1.74
1977	John Candelaria	2.34
1976	Mark Fidrych	2.34
1975	Jim Palmer	2.09
1974	Buzz Capra	2.28
1973	Tom Seaver	2.08
1972	Luis Tiant	1.91
1971	Tom Seaver	1.76
1970	Diego Segui	2.56
1969	Juan Marichal	2.10
1968	Bob Gibson	1.12
1967	Phil Niekro	1.87
1966	Sandy Koufax	1.73
1965	Sandy Koufax	2.04
1964	Dean Chance	1.65
1963	Sandy Koufax	1.88
1962	Hank Aguirre	2.21
1961	Dick Donovan	2.40
1960	Frank Baumann	2.67
1959	Hoyt Wilhelm	2.19
1958	Whitey Ford	2.01
1957	Bobby Shantz	2.45
1956	Whitey Ford	2.47
1955	Billy Pierce	1.97
1954	Johnny Antonelli	2.30
1953	Warren Spahn	2.10
1952	Allie Reynolds	2.06
1951	Saul Rogovin	2.78
1950	Sal Maglie	2.71
1949	Mike Garcia	2.36
1948	Max Manning	1.75
1947	Warren Spahn	2.33
1946	Hal Newhouser	1.94
1945	Garnett Blair	0.96
1944	Satchel Paige	1.01
1943	Spud Chandler	1.64
1942	Jonas Gaines	1.59
1941	Hilton Smith	1.66
1940	George Walker	1.21
1939	Smoky Owens	1.90
1938	Ray Brown	1.95
1937	Eugene Bremer	1.47
1936	Carl Hubbell	2.31
1935	Neck Stanley	2.47
1934	Slim Jones	1.60
1933	Harry Salmon	1.25
1932	Roy Parnell	1.26
1931	Malvin Powell	1.29
1930	Lefty Grove	2.54
1929	Chet Brewer	2.12
1928	Bullet Campbell	0.00	new record
1927	Willie Foster	2.25
1926	Willie Foster	1.80
1925	Bullet Rogan	1.74
1924	Juan Padrón	2.04
1923	Dolf Luque	1.93
1922	Phil Douglas	2.63
1921	Bullet Rogan	1.82
1920	Dave Brown	1.72
1919	Walter Johnson	1.49
1918	Walter Johnson	1.27
1917	Fred Anderson	1.44
1916	Pete Alexander	1.55
1915	Pete Alexander	1.22
1914	Dutch Leonard	0.96
1913	Walter Johnson	1.14
1912	Walter Johnson	1.39
1911	Vean Gregg	1.80
1910	Ed Walsh	1.27
1909	Christy Mathewson	1.14
1908	Addie Joss	1.16
1907	Jack Pfiester	1.15
1906	Mordecai Brown	1.04
1905	Christy Mathewson	1.28
1904	Addie Joss	1.59
1903	Earl Moore	1.74
1902	Jack Taylor	1.29
1901	Cy Young	1.62
1900	Rube Waddell	2.37
1899	Vic Willis	2.50
1898	Clark Griffith	1.88
1897	Amos Rusie	2.54
1896	Billy Rhines	2.45
1895	Al Maul	2.45
1894	Amos Rusie	2.78
1893	Theodore Breitenstein	3.18
1892	Cy Young	1.93
1891	Frank Killen	1.68
1890	Billy Rhines	1.95
1889	Jack Stivetts	2.25
1888	Silver King	1.63
1887	Dan Casey	2.86
1886	Henry Boyle	1.76
1885	Tim Keefe	1.57
1884	Ed Cushman	1.00
1884	Dan Casey	1.00
1883	Jim McCormick	1.84
1882	Denny Driscoll	1.21
1881	George Weidman	1.80
1880	Tim Keefe	0.86	new record
1879	Tommy Bond	1.96
1878	John Ward	1.51
1877	Tommy Bond	2.11
1876	George Bradley	1.23	new record
1875	Pidgey Morgan	1.29	new record
1874	Dick McBride	1.64	new record
1873	Cherokee Fisher	1.81
1872	Cherokee Fisher	1.80	new record
1871	George Zettlein	2.73	new record