The 50 pitchers with the most strikeouts, 1871–2021

Every pitcher on this list is ranked on one number: strikeouts in the regular season between 1871 and 2021. Nothing else is weighed, and the figures each ranking rests on are in the table.

Strikeouts — the leading 15. Every one of the 50 is in the table below.

#	Player	Seasons	Strikeouts	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Nolan Ryan	1966–1993	5,714	807	324	292
2	Randy Johnson	1988–2009	4,875	618	303	166
3	Roger Clemens	1984–2007	4,672	709	354	184
4	Steve Carlton	1965–1988	4,136	741	329	244
5	Bert Blyleven	1970–1992	3,701	692	287	250
6	Tom Seaver	1967–1986	3,640	656	311	205
7	Don Sutton	1966–1988	3,574	774	324	256
8	Gaylord Perry	1962–1983	3,534	777	314	265
9	Walter Johnson	1907–1927	3,509	802	417	279
10	Greg Maddux	1986–2008	3,371	744	355	227
11	Phil Niekro	1964–1987	3,342	864	318	274
12	Fergie Jenkins	1965–1983	3,192	664	284	226
13	Pedro Martinez	1992–2009	3,154	476	219	100
14	Bob Gibson	1959–1975	3,117	528	251	174
15	Curt Schilling	1988–2007	3,116	569	216	146
16	CC Sabathia	2001–2019	3,093	561	251	161
17	John Smoltz	1988–2009	3,084	723	213	155
18	Max Scherzer	2008–2021	3,020	407	190	97
19	Justin Verlander	2005–2020	3,013	454	226	129
20	Jim Bunning	1955–1971	2,855	591	224	184
21	Mickey Lolich	1963–1979	2,832	586	217	191
22	Mike Mussina	1991–2008	2,813	537	270	153
23	Zack Greinke	2004–2021	2,809	530	219	132
24	Cy Young	1890–1911	2,803	906	511	315
25	Frank Tanana	1973–1993	2,773	638	240	236
26	Clayton Kershaw	2008–2021	2,670	379	185	84
27	David Cone	1986–2003	2,668	450	194	126
28	Chuck Finley	1986–2002	2,610	524	200	173
29	Tom Glavine	1987–2008	2,607	682	305	203
30	Warren Spahn	1942–1965	2,583	750	363	245
31	Bob Feller	1936–1956	2,581	570	266	162
32	Tim Keefe	1880–1893	2,564	600	342	225
33	Cole Hamels	2006–2020	2,560	423	163	122
34	Jerry Koosman	1967–1985	2,556	612	222	209
35	Javier Vazquez	1998–2011	2,536	450	165	160
36	Bartolo Colon	1997–2018	2,535	565	247	188
37	Felix Hernandez	2005–2019	2,524	419	169	136
38	A. J. Burnett	1999–2015	2,513	435	164	157
39	Christy Mathewson	1900–1916	2,507	636	373	188
40	Jon Lester	2006–2021	2,488	452	200	117
41	Don Drysdale	1956–1969	2,486	518	209	166
42	Jack Morris	1977–1994	2,478	549	254	186
43	Mark Langston	1984–1999	2,464	457	179	158
44	Jim Kaat	1959–1983	2,461	898	283	237
45	Sam McDowell	1961–1975	2,453	425	141	134
46	Andy Pettitte	1995–2013	2,448	531	256	153
47	Jamie Moyer	1986–2012	2,441	696	269	209
48	Luis Tiant	1964–1982	2,416	573	229	172
49	Dennis Eckersley	1975–1998	2,401	1,071	197	171
50	Kevin Brown	1986–2005	2,397	486	211	144

How this list is made

Ranked on strikeouts in the regular season, 1871–2021. Players are ranked on that number alone and on nothing else: there is no judgement here about who was better. Where two are level they share a rank, and the list runs past fifty when fiftieth place is shared, because splitting a tie would mean choosing between them on no stated basis.

The Negro Leagues are not in these figures. Major League Baseball recognised the Negro Leagues as major-league in December 2020 and added their statistics to the official record in May 2024. This database does not carry them: Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Buck Leonard and Cool Papa Bell are absent from it altogether, and Satchel Paige appears only from 1948, his American League seasons. These lists are therefore not the complete official record, and that is a limit of the source rather than a judgement about who belongs on them.

Counting statistics only. A rate — an average, a percentage — needs a minimum number of appearances before it means anything, and no such minimum is published that this site could cite. Inventing one would put a number nobody chose at the centre of a ranking. A total needs no cut-off: most goals is a fact with nothing hidden in it.

Some of these careers were not over. Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester played in 2021, the last season this database covers, so their totals are what they had reached by then. This site has no source for what has happened since.

Career figures from the Lahman Baseball Database via the Chadwick Bureau’s Baseball Databank, CC BY-SA 3.0. Regular season only; the post-season is not counted.

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