Lowest Single-Season ERA: Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through October 9, 2026

This board follows the record MLB adopted in 2024, when the statistics of the seven recognised Negro Leagues (1920–1948) became part of the official record. Because a Negro Leagues season ran roughly 69 games to the American and National Leagues’ 149, the career qualification is prorated from 3,000 at-bats to 1,389 for careers played mainly in those leagues, and from 400 plate appearances to 185 for a single Negro Leagues season. The all-time AL & NL board uses the traditional 3,000-at-bat rule and excludes Negro Leagues records.

As of October 9, 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).

These rankings combine AL/NL and Negro Leagues statistics (1920–1948), which MLB recognized as major league in 2020 — 2 of the 100 seasons listed here were played in the Negro Leagues.

Top 10 ERA

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Lowest Single-Season ERA: Leaders & Records (AL/NL + Negro Leagues Combined)
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
T-5 Joe Williams 1918 NLG 1.14
8 Jack Pfiester 1907 CHN 1.15
9 Addie Joss 1908 CLE 1.16
10 Carl Lundgren 1907 CHN 1.17
11 Denny Driscoll 1882 PT1 1.21
12 Pete Alexander 1915 PHI 1.22
13 George Bradley 1876 SL3 1.23
14 Dizzy Dismukes 1915 ABC 1.24
15 Cy Young 1908 BOS 1.26
T-16 Walter Johnson 1918 WS1 1.27
T-16 Ed Walsh 1910 CHA 1.27
18 Christy Mathewson 1905 NY1 1.28
19 Jack Taylor 1902 CHN 1.29
T-20 Jack Coombs 1910 PHA 1.30
T-20 Guy Hecker 1882 LS2 1.30
22 Mordecai Brown 1909 CHN 1.31
23 Walter Johnson 1910 WS1 1.36
T-24 George Bradley 1880 PRO 1.38
T-24 Old Hoss Radbourn 1884 PRO 1.38
T-26 Mordecai Brown 1907 CHN 1.39
T-26 Walter Johnson 1912 WS1 1.39
T-26 Harry Krause 1909 PHA 1.39
T-29 Tommy Bond 1875 HR1 1.41
T-29 Ed Walsh 1909 CHA 1.41
T-31 Orval Overall 1909 CHN 1.42
T-31 Ed Reulbach 1905 CHN 1.42
T-31 Ed Walsh 1908 CHA 1.42
34 Christy Mathewson 1908 NY1 1.43
35 Fred Anderson 1917 NY1 1.44
36 Mordecai Brown 1908 CHN 1.47
37 Rube Waddell 1905 PHA 1.48
T-38 Walter Johnson 1919 WS1 1.49
T-38 Smoky Joe Wood 1915 BOS 1.49
T-40 Jack Pfiester 1906 CHN 1.51
T-40 John Ward 1878 PRO 1.51
T-42 Harry McCormick 1882 CN2 1.52
T-42 Doc White 1906 CHA 1.52
T-44 Eddie Cicotte 1917 CHA 1.53
T-44 Dwight Gooden 1985 NYN 1.53
T-44 George McQuillan 1908 PHI 1.53
47 Will White 1882 CN2 1.54
T-48 Pete Alexander 1916 PHI 1.55
T-48 Walter Johnson 1915 WS1 1.55
T-48 Cy Morgan 1910 PHA 1.55
T-51 Howie Camnitz 1908 PIT 1.56
T-51 Jim Devlin 1876 LS1 1.56
T-51 Greg Maddux 1994 ATL 1.56
54 Tim Keefe 1885 NY1 1.57
T-55 Charles Bender 1910 PHA 1.58
T-55 Eddie Cicotte 1913 CHA 1.58
T-55 Rube Marquard 1916 BRO 1.58
T-55 Juan Padrón 1916 2 teams 1.58
T-55 Fred Toney 1915 CIN 1.58
T-60 Addie Joss 1904 CLE 1.59
T-60 Barney Pelty 1906 SLA 1.59
T-60 Al Spalding 1875 BS1 1.59
T-60 George Zettlein 1875 2 teams 1.59
T-64 Candy Cummings 1875 HR1 1.60
T-64 Slim Jones NgL 1934 PS 1.60
T-64 Dick Matthews NgL 1932 MRM 1.60
T-64 Luis Tiant 1968 CLE 1.60
T-64 Ed Walsh 1907 CHA 1.60
69 Joe McGinnity 1904 NY1 1.61
T-70 Howie Camnitz 1909 PIT 1.62
T-70 Ray Collins 1910 BOS 1.62
T-70 Rube Waddell 1904 PHA 1.62
T-70 Cy Young 1901 BOS 1.62
T-74 Shane Bieber 2020 CLE 1.63
T-74 Silver King 1888 SL4 1.63
T-74 Greg Maddux 1995 ATL 1.63
T-77 Spud Chandler 1943 NYA 1.64
T-77 Dick McBride 1874 PH1 1.64
T-77 Ernie Shore 1915 BOS 1.64
T-77 Ed Summers 1908 DET 1.64
T-81 Dean Chance 1964 LAA 1.65
T-81 Russ Ford 1910 NYA 1.65
T-81 Walter Johnson 1908 WS1 1.65
T-81 Ed Reulbach 1906 CHN 1.65
T-85 Charles Bender 1909 PHA 1.66
T-85 Zack Greinke 2015 LAN 1.66
T-85 Carl Hubbell 1933 NY1 1.66
T-85 Sam Leever 1907 PIT 1.66
T-85 Mickey Welch 1885 NY1 1.66
90 Candy Cummings 1876 HAR 1.67
T-91 Tommy Bond 1876 HAR 1.68
T-91 Orval Overall 1907 CHN 1.68
T-93 Claude Hendrix 1914 CHF 1.69
T-93 Jim McCormick 1878 IN1 1.69
T-93 Ed Reulbach 1907 CHN 1.69
T-93 Nolan Ryan 1981 HOU 1.69
T-93 Smoky Joe Wood 1910 BOS 1.69
T-98 Bill Burns 1908 WS1 1.70
T-98 Jacob deGrom 2018 NYN 1.70
T-98 Rube Foster 1914 BOS 1.70

Reading the single-season ERA board (combined view)

The final row on this board, rank T-98, is held at 1.70. The rows reach from the 1870s to the 2020s, and the 1900s supply more seasons than any other decade. Within the top ten, the 1900s are the most common decade. Some names recur: 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. At 1.58, Charles Bender, Eddie Cicotte, Rube Marquard, and Juan Padrón and others are tied at T-55. Tim Keefe leads at 0.86 in 1880. Second place belongs to Dutch Leonard, at 0.96 (1914). The highest-placed Negro Leagues entry, tied for 64th on the board, is Slim Jones with 1.60 in 1934.

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).
Do these ERA rankings include the Negro Leagues?
Yes. MLB recognized the Negro Leagues (1920–1948) as major league in 2020, so their statistics are ranked alongside AL/NL records here — 2 of the 100 seasons listed here were played in the Negro Leagues.