# List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders

In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e., the traditional length of a game). It is calculated by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. Runs resulting from defensive errors (including pitchers' defensive errors) are recorded as unearned runs and are not used to determine earned run average.
This is a list of the top 100 players in career earned run average, who have thrown at least 1,000 innings.
Ed Walsh holds the major league earned run average record at 1.816. Addie Joss (1.887) and Jim Devlin (1.896) are the only other pitchers with a career earned run average under 2.000.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career earned run average. A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player | Name of player. |
| ERA | Total career earned run average. |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. |
| Bold | Denotes an active player. |

## List

* Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player | ERA |
| 1 | Ed Walsh* | 1.816 |
| 2 | Addie Joss* | 1.887 |
| 3 | Jim Devlin | 1.896 |
| 4 | Jack Pfiester | 2.024 |
| 5 | Smoky Joe Wood | 2.033 |
| 6 | Mordecai Brown* | 2.057 |
| 7 | John Montgomery Ward* | 2.099 |
| 8 | Christy Mathewson* | 2.133 |
| | Al Spalding* | 2.133 |
| 10 | Tommy Bond | 2.138 |
| 11 | Rube Waddell* | 2.161 |
| 12 | Walter Johnson* | 2.167 |
| 13 | Mariano Rivera* | 2.209 |
| 14 | Jake Weimer | 2.231 |
| 15 | Orval Overall | 2.257 |
| 16 | Will White | 2.276 |
| 17 | Babe Ruth* | 2.277 |
| 18 | Ed Reulbach | 2.284 |
| 19 | Jim Scott | 2.298 |
| 20 | Reb Russell | 2.334 |
| 21 | Andy Coakley | 2.350 |
| | Eddie Plank* | 2.350 |
| 23 | Larry Corcoran | 2.355 |
| 24 | Eddie Cicotte | 2.380 |
| 25 | George McQuillan | 2.381 |
| 26 | Ed Killian | 2.382 |
| 27 | Doc White | 2.391 |
| 28 | Harry Coveleski | 2.394 |
| 29 | Carl Lundgren | 2.417 |
| 30 | Nap Rucker | 2.421 |
| 31 | Candy Cummings* | 2.424 |
| 32 | Jeff Tesreau | 2.428 |
| 33 | Joe Benz | 2.429 |
| 34 | Jim McCormick | 2.431 |
| 35 | George Bradley | 2.434 |
| 36 | Terry Larkin | 2.435 |
| 37 | Chief Bender* | 2.455 |
| 38 | Hooks Wiltse | 2.471 |
| 39 | Sam Leever | 2.473 |
| | Lefty Leifield | 2.473 |
| 41 | Hippo Vaughn | 2.486 |
| 42 | Bob Ewing | 2.492 |
| 43 | Clayton Kershaw | 2.500 |
| 44 | Cy Morgan | 2.509 |
| 45 | Ray Collins | 2.513 |
| 46 | Jacob deGrom | 2.522 |
| 47 | Hoyt Wilhelm* | 2.523 |
| 48 | Lew Richie | 2.536 |
| 49 | Noodles Hahn | 2.546 |
| 50 | George Zettlein | 2.547 |
| Rank | Player | ERA |
| 51 | Frank Owen | 2.552 |
| 52 | Grover Cleveland Alexander* | 2.560 |
| 53 | Slim Sallee | 2.564 |
| 54 | Deacon Phillippe | 2.586 |
| 55 | Russ Ford | 2.590 |
| 56 | Frank Smith | 2.592 |
| 57 | Ed Siever | 2.598 |
| 58 | Bob Rhoads | 2.612 |
| 59 | Cherokee Fisher | 2.613 |
| 60 | Fred Glade | 2.618 |
| 61 | Tim Keefe* | 2.627 |
| | Cy Young* | 2.627 |
| 63 | Vic Willis* | 2.628 |
| 64 | Red Ames | 2.629 |
| | Bill Foster* | 2.629 |
| 66 | Barney Pelty | 2.632 |
| 67 | Claude Hendrix | 2.649 |
| 68 | Bullet Rogan* | 2.652 |
| 69 | Jack Taylor | 2.653 |
| 70 | Joe McGinnity | 2.657 |
| | Dick Rudolph | 2.657 |
| 72 | Pete Schneider | 2.663 |
| 73 | Nick Altrock | 2.669 |
| | Carl Weilman | 2.669 |
| 75 | Charlie Ferguson | 2.674 |
| 76 | Charles Radbourn* | 2.678 |
| 77 | Johnny Lush | 2.680 |
| 78 | Cy Falkenberg | 2.682 |
| 79 | Jack Chesbro* | 2.684 |
| 80 | Fred Toney | 2.689 |
| 81 | Bill Donovan | 2.690 |
| 82 | Satchel Paige* | 2.697 |
| 83 | Larry Cheney | 2.698 |
| 84 | Vean Gregg | 2.701 |
| 85 | Dick McBride | 2.706 |
| 86 | Mickey Welch* | 2.712 |
| 87 | Ned Garvin | 2.718 |
| 88 | Bob Wicker | 2.726 |
| 89 | Fred Goldsmith | 2.729 |
| 90 | Nick Cullop | 2.733 |
| 91 | Harry Howell | 2.738 |
| 92 | Whitey Ford* | 2.745 |
| 93 | Dummy Taylor | 2.747 |
| 94 | Howie Camnitz | 2.749 |
| | Roy Patterson | 2.749 |
| 96 | Babe Adams | 2.755 |
| 97 | Dutch Leonard | 2.759 |
| 98 | Dan Quisenberry | 2.760 |
| 99 | Sandy Koufax* | 2.761 |
| 100 | Jeff Pfeffer | 2.774 |