Lowest Single-Season ERA: Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through October 24, 2026

As of October 24, 2026, the single-season leader in ERA is Tim Keefe (1880) with 0.86. Dutch Leonard (1914) is second with 0.96 and Mordecai Brown (1906) is third with 1.04. This page ranks the top 100 seasons in ERA.

ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.

Data updated

Tim Keefe holds the MLB single-season ERA record with a 0.86 ERA in 1880, ahead of Dutch Leonard (0.96 in 1914) and Mordecai Brown (1.04 in 1906).

Rankings cover the top 100 qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of one inning pitched per game the player's team played).

Top 10 ERA

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Lowest Single-Season ERA: Leaders & Records
Rank Player Year Team ERA
1 Tim Keefe 1880 TRN 0.86
2 Dutch Leonard 1914 BOS 0.96
3 Mordecai Brown 1906 CHN 1.04
4 Bob Gibson 1968 SLN 1.12
T-5 Walter Johnson 1913 WS1 1.14
T-5 Christy Mathewson 1909 NY1 1.14
7 Jack Pfiester 1907 CHN 1.15
8 Addie Joss 1908 CLE 1.16
9 Carl Lundgren 1907 CHN 1.17
10 Denny Driscoll 1882 PT1 1.21
11 Pete Alexander 1915 PHI 1.22
12 George Bradley 1876 SL3 1.23
13 Cy Young 1908 BOS 1.26
T-14 Walter Johnson 1918 WS1 1.27
T-14 Ed Walsh 1910 CHA 1.27
16 Christy Mathewson 1905 NY1 1.28
17 Jack Taylor 1902 CHN 1.29
T-18 Jack Coombs 1910 PHA 1.30
T-18 Guy Hecker 1882 LS2 1.30
20 Mordecai Brown 1909 CHN 1.31
21 Walter Johnson 1910 WS1 1.36
T-22 George Bradley 1880 PRO 1.38
T-22 Old Hoss Radbourn 1884 PRO 1.38
T-24 Mordecai Brown 1907 CHN 1.39
T-24 Walter Johnson 1912 WS1 1.39
T-24 Harry Krause 1909 PHA 1.39
27 Ed Walsh 1909 CHA 1.41
T-28 Orval Overall 1909 CHN 1.42
T-28 Ed Reulbach 1905 CHN 1.42
T-28 Ed Walsh 1908 CHA 1.42
31 Christy Mathewson 1908 NY1 1.43
32 Fred Anderson 1917 NY1 1.44
33 Mordecai Brown 1908 CHN 1.47
34 Rube Waddell 1905 PHA 1.48
T-35 Walter Johnson 1919 WS1 1.49
T-35 Smoky Joe Wood 1915 BOS 1.49
T-37 Jack Pfiester 1906 CHN 1.51
T-37 John Ward 1878 PRO 1.51
T-39 Harry McCormick 1882 CN2 1.52
T-39 Doc White 1906 CHA 1.52
T-41 Eddie Cicotte 1917 CHA 1.53
T-41 Dwight Gooden 1985 NYN 1.53
T-41 George McQuillan 1908 PHI 1.53
44 Will White 1882 CN2 1.54
T-45 Pete Alexander 1916 PHI 1.55
T-45 Walter Johnson 1915 WS1 1.55
T-45 Cy Morgan 1910 PHA 1.55
T-48 Howie Camnitz 1908 PIT 1.56
T-48 Jim Devlin 1876 LS1 1.56
T-48 Greg Maddux 1994 ATL 1.56
51 Tim Keefe 1885 NY1 1.57
T-52 Charles Bender 1910 PHA 1.58
T-52 Eddie Cicotte 1913 CHA 1.58
T-52 Rube Marquard 1916 BRO 1.58
T-52 Fred Toney 1915 CIN 1.58
T-56 Addie Joss 1904 CLE 1.59
T-56 Barney Pelty 1906 SLA 1.59
T-58 Luis Tiant 1968 CLE 1.60
T-58 Ed Walsh 1907 CHA 1.60
60 Joe McGinnity 1904 NY1 1.61
T-61 Howie Camnitz 1909 PIT 1.62
T-61 Ray Collins 1910 BOS 1.62
T-61 Rube Waddell 1904 PHA 1.62
T-61 Cy Young 1901 BOS 1.62
T-65 Shane Bieber 2020 CLE 1.63
T-65 Silver King 1888 SL4 1.63
T-65 Greg Maddux 1995 ATL 1.63
T-68 Spud Chandler 1943 NYA 1.64
T-68 Ernie Shore 1915 BOS 1.64
T-68 Ed Summers 1908 DET 1.64
T-71 Dean Chance 1964 LAA 1.65
T-71 Russ Ford 1910 NYA 1.65
T-71 Walter Johnson 1908 WS1 1.65
T-71 Ed Reulbach 1906 CHN 1.65
T-75 Charles Bender 1909 PHA 1.66
T-75 Zack Greinke 2015 LAN 1.66
T-75 Carl Hubbell 1933 NY1 1.66
T-75 Sam Leever 1907 PIT 1.66
T-75 Mickey Welch 1885 NY1 1.66
80 Candy Cummings 1876 HAR 1.67
T-81 Tommy Bond 1876 HAR 1.68
T-81 Orval Overall 1907 CHN 1.68
T-83 Claude Hendrix 1914 CHF 1.69
T-83 Jim McCormick 1878 IN1 1.69
T-83 Ed Reulbach 1907 CHN 1.69
T-83 Nolan Ryan 1981 HOU 1.69
T-83 Smoky Joe Wood 1910 BOS 1.69
T-88 Bill Burns 1908 WS1 1.70
T-88 Jacob deGrom 2018 NYN 1.70
T-88 Rube Foster 1914 BOS 1.70
T-88 Charlie Sweeney 1884 2 teams 1.70
T-92 Addie Joss 1909 CLE 1.71
T-92 Ed Killian 1909 DET 1.71
T-94 Pete Alexander 1919 CHN 1.72
T-94 Bill Doak 1914 SLN 1.72
T-94 Ned Garvin 1904 2 teams 1.72
T-94 Walter Johnson 1914 WS1 1.72
T-94 Addie Joss 1906 CLE 1.72
T-94 Doc White 1909 CHA 1.72
100 Trevor Bauer 2020 CIN 1.73

Reading the single-season ERA board

The final row on this board, rank 100, is held at 1.73. By decade, the 1900s and 1910s are the best represented, while the list as a whole spans the 1870s through the 2020s. The top ten leans toward the 1900s. The board repeats several players, among them Mordecai Brown (1906, 1909, 1907, and 1908), Walter Johnson (1913, 1918, 1910, 1912, and 1919), and Christy Mathewson (1909, 1905, and 1908). CHN is the most common entry in the Team column. The largest tie on the board is at T-94, where Pete Alexander, Bill Doak, Ned Garvin, and Walter Johnson and others share 1.72. At the top of the table is Tim Keefe, with 0.86 in 1880. Second place belongs to Dutch Leonard, at 0.96 (1914).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the lowest single-season ERA (MLB's qualification rule of one inning pitched per game the player's team played)?
Tim Keefe — a 0.86 ERA in 1880, among qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of one inning pitched per game the player's team played). Next are Dutch Leonard (0.96 in 1914) and Mordecai Brown (1.04 in 1906).
What was Tim Keefe's ERA in 1880?
Tim Keefe posted a 0.86 ERA for TRN in 1880 — the lowest mark on this leaderboard.
Who else ranks in the top 5 for single-season ERA?
1. Tim Keefe (0.86 in 1880); 2. Dutch Leonard (0.96 in 1914); 3. Mordecai Brown (1.04 in 1906); 4. Bob Gibson (1.12 in 1968); 5. Walter Johnson (1.14 in 1913).
Who qualifies for this ERA leaderboard?
This leaderboard ranks qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of one inning pitched per game the player's team played), showing the top 100. Tim Keefe leads with a 0.86 ERA in 1880.