Most Strikeouts by a Pitcher in a Season: Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through August 11, 2026

Matt Kilroy holds the MLB single-season strikeout record with 513 strikeouts in 1886, ahead of Toad Ramsey (499 in 1886) and Hugh Daily (469 in 1884).

Rankings cover the top 100 seasons in MLB history.

Top 10 SO

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Rank Player Year Team SO
1 Matt Kilroy 1886 BL2 513
2 Toad Ramsey 1886 LS2 499
3 Hugh Daily 1884 CHU 469
4 Old Hoss Radbourn 1884 PRO 441
5 Charlie Buffinton 1884 BSN 417
6 Guy Hecker 1884 LS2 385
7 Nolan Ryan 1973 LAA 383
8 Sandy Koufax 1965 LAD 382
9 Bill Sweeney 1884 BLU 374
10 Randy Johnson 2001 AZ 372
11 Pud Galvin 1884 BFN 369
12 Mark Baldwin 1889 CL6 368
13 Nolan Ryan 1974 LAA 367
14 Randy Johnson 1999 AZ 364
15 Tim Keefe 1883 NY4 359
16 Toad Ramsey 1887 LS2 355
17 Rube Waddell 1904 PHA 349
18 Bob Feller 1946 CLE 348
19 Randy Johnson 2000 AZ 347
20 Hardie Henderson 1884 BL2 346
21 Mickey Welch 1884 NY1 345
22 Jim Whitney 1883 BSN 345
23 Amos Rusie 1890 NY1 341
24 Nolan Ryan 1977 LAA 341
25 Amos Rusie 1891 NY1 337
26 Tim Keefe 1888 NY1 335
27 Randy Johnson 2002 AZ 334
28 Tim Keefe 1884 NY4 334
29 Nolan Ryan 1972 LAA 329
30 Nolan Ryan 1976 LAA 327
31 Gerrit Cole 2019 HOU 326
32 Ed Morris 1886 PT1 326
33 Sam McDowell 1965 CLE 325
34 Tony Mullane 1884 TL1 325
35 Lady Baldwin 1886 DTN 323
36 Curt Schilling 1997 PHI 319
37 Sandy Koufax 1966 LAD 317
38 Curt Schilling 2002 AZ 316
39 Old Hoss Radbourn 1883 PRO 315
40 Bill Hutchison 1892 CHC 314
41 John Clarkson 1886 CHC 313
42 Walter Johnson 1910 WSN 313
43 Pedro Martinez 1999 BOS 313
44 J. R. Richard 1979 HOU 313
45 Steve Carlton 1972 PHI 310
46 Dupee Shaw 1884 BSU 309
47 John Clarkson 1885 CHC 308
48 Randy Johnson 1993 SEA 308
49 Mickey Lolich 1971 DET 308
50 Larry McKeon 1884 IN2 308
51 Chris Sale 2017 BOS 308
52 Sandy Koufax 1963 LAD 306
53 Mike Scott 1986 HOU 306
54 Pedro Martinez 1997 WSN 305
55 Sam McDowell 1970 CLE 304
56 Amos Rusie 1892 NY1 304
57 Walter Johnson 1912 WSN 303
58 J. R. Richard 1978 HOU 303
59 Ed Morris 1884 CL5 302
60 Rube Waddell 1903 PHA 302
61 Vida Blue 1971 OAK 301
62 Clayton Kershaw 2015 LAD 301
63 Nolan Ryan 1989 TEX 301
64 Max Scherzer 2018 WAS 300
65 Curt Schilling 1998 PHI 300
66 Justin Verlander 2019 HOU 300
67 Ed Morris 1885 PT1 298
68 Tim Keefe 1886 NY1 297
69 Randy Johnson 1995 SEA 294
70 Curt Schilling 2001 AZ 293
71 Roger Clemens 1997 TOR 292
72 Jack Lynch 1884 NY4 292
73 Roger Clemens 1988 BOS 291
74 Randy Johnson 1997 SEA 291
75 Randy Johnson 2004 AZ 290
76 Justin Verlander 2018 HOU 290
77 Bill Hutchison 1890 CHC 289
78 Tom Seaver 1971 NYN 289
79 Jack Stivetts 1890 SL4 289
80 Rube Waddell 1905 PHA 287
81 Steve Carlton 1980 PHI 286
82 Steve Carlton 1982 PHI 286
83 Bobby Mathews 1884 PH4 286
84 Bobby Mathews 1885 PH4 286
85 John Clarkson 1889 BSN 284
86 Pedro Martinez 2000 BOS 284
87 Max Scherzer 2016 WAS 284
88 Dave Foutz 1886 SL4 283
89 Sam McDowell 1968 CLE 283
90 Tom Seaver 1970 NYN 283
91 Spencer Strider 2023 ATL 281
92 Denny McLain 1968 DET 280
93 Pud Galvin 1883 BFN 279
94 Sam McDowell 1969 CLE 279
95 Yu Darvish 2013 TEX 277
96 Gerrit Cole 2018 HOU 276
97 Dwight Gooden 1984 NYN 276
98 Max Scherzer 2015 WAS 276
99 John Smoltz 1996 ATL 276
100 Bob Veale 1965 PIT 276

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the most strikeouts in a season?
Matt Kilroy — 513 strikeouts in 1886. Next are Toad Ramsey (499 in 1886) and Hugh Daily (469 in 1884).
How many strikeouts did Matt Kilroy record in 1886?
Matt Kilroy recorded 513 strikeouts for BL2 in 1886 — the highest mark on this leaderboard.
Who else ranks in the top 5 for strikeouts in a season?
1. Matt Kilroy (513 in 1886); 2. Toad Ramsey (499 in 1886); 3. Hugh Daily (469 in 1884); 4. Old Hoss Radbourn (441 in 1884); 5. Charlie Buffinton (417 in 1884).
How many seasons are ranked on this leaderboard?
This page lists the top 100 seasons by strikeouts in a season, from Matt Kilroy at 513 down to Bob Veale at 276.