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Every MLB team's All-time strikeout leader. Read every MLB team's all-time strikeout leader
Every MLB Team's All-Time Strikeout Leader - All 30 Franchises
With the regular season officially underway, let’s take a trip down memory lane and analyze each MLB team’s all-time strikeout leader. While most of these players are in the Hall of Fame, some remain quite underrated in the league’s history.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Randy Johnson – 2,077 strikeouts
Randy Johnson spent the majority of his career in Seattle but still holds the franchise record for strikeouts in Arizona. Johnson is the only Diamondbacks pitcher to tally over 2,000 punchouts with the franchise. Brandon Webb sits in second with just 1.065. During his time in the desert, Johnson won four-straight Cy Young Awards and led the NL in strikeouts five times.
Athletics
Eddie Plank – 1,985 strikeouts
Eddie Plank is the only pitcher in A’s history to tally over 1,750 K’s with the franchise. Plank spent 14 seasons of his 17-year MLB career with the then-Philadelphia Athletics. During his time there, Plank never led the majors in strikeouts but was a consistent workhorse, logging an average of 265 innings per season. He won three World Series and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Braves
John Smoltz – 3,011 strikeouts
John Smoltz is the lone Brave to reside in the 3,ooo-strikeout club with the franchise. Smoltz spent all but one season of his 21-year MLB career in Atlanta. With the Braves, Smoltz saw time as both a starter and a reliever. He led the major leagues in strikeouts twice and captured the Cy Young in 1996. He was also an eight-time All-Star and a World Series champion.
Baltimore Orioles
Jim Palmer – 2,212 strikeouts
Jim Palmer stands alone in the Baltimore record books when looking at strikeouts. Palmer was a Baltimore Oriole during his entire 19-year MLB career. The Hall of Famer captured three AL Cy Young awards and was a three-time World Series champion. Palmer led the majors in innings pitched four times but never in strikeouts.
Boston Red Sox
Roger Clemens – 2,590 strikeouts
Roger Clemens spent the first 13 seasons of his MLB career in Boston. During this tenure, he became one of just two players in franchise history to record over 2,000 strikeouts (Tim Wakefield being the other). In Boston, Clemens would lead the majors in strikeouts three times and ERA four times. He would capture two Cy Young awards and win the AL MVP during the 1986 season.
Chicago Cubs
Fergie Jenkins – 2,038 strikeouts
Fergie Jenkins is the only player in Chicago Cubs history to record over 2,000 strikeouts with the franchise. Jenkins is well-regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in team history, as he was named to three NL All-Star teams and won the NL Cy Young in 1971. He led the majors in complete games four times and strikeouts once. Jenkins was a true workhorse as he averaged 243 innings pitched per campaign.
Chicago White Sox
Billy Pierce – 1,796 strikeouts
Billy Pierce nearly holds this title as Ed Walsh sits with 1,723 punchouts in the No. 2 spot. Pierce spent the majority of his MLB career with the White Sox. Across his time on the Southside, Piece made seven All-Star teams and led the majors in WAR twice. He also led the majors in strikeouts (186) during the 1953 campaign and finished within the top 10 in MVP voting twice.
Cincinnati Reds
Jim Maloney – 1.592 strikeouts
Jim Maloney is the only pitcher in Reds history to surpass the 1,500-strikeout mark. Malone spent 11 of his 12 big league campaigns in Cincinnati. As a Red, Maloney made just one All-Star game but did receive MVP votes twice. He never led the majors in strikeouts, but was able to stay on the field as he averaged 32 starts per season.
Cleveland Guardians
Bob Feller – 2,581 strikeouts
Bob Feller and Sam McDowell are the only pitchers in Cleveland history to tally over 2,000 punchouts with the franchise. In Cleveland, Feller enjoyed an 18-year Hall of Fame career. He was an eight-time All-Star, a Triple Crown winner in the 1940 season. During this impressive campaign, Feller earned 27 wins, held a 2.61 ERA, and tallied 261 punchouts.
Colorado Rockies
German Marquez – 990 strikeouts
German Marquez recently surpassed Jorge De La Rosa for the most strikeouts in franchise history. De La Rosa tallied 980 during his time in Colorado. Marquez has missed time due to injuries but has enjoyed several effective seasons when on the bump. During the 2020 shortened season, Marquez led the majors in innings pitched. He holds a career 8.9 K/9.
Detroit Tigers
Mickey Lolich – 2,679 strikeouts
Mickey Lolich is one of just two Detroit pitchers to tally over 2,000 strikeouts with the team, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander being the other. Lolich spent 13 of his 16 MLB seasons in the Motor City. As a Tiger, Lolich was a three-time All-Star and finished within the top 10 in MVP voting twice. He also led the majors in innings pitched once and in strikeouts once.
Houston Astros
Nolan Ryan – 1,866 strikeouts
Nolan Ryan enjoyed an illustrious MLB career with several teams but spent the majority of his time as a Houston Astro. In Houston, Nolan Ryan finished within the top nine in Cy Young voting three times and led the majors in strikeouts twice. He held a cumulative 3.13 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP across 1,854 1/3 innings with the Astros.
Kansas City Royals
Kevin Appier – 1,458 strikeouts
Kevin Appier sits on top of the Kansas City record books, slightly above Mark Gubicza’s 1,366 punchouts. Appier spent 13 seasons of his 16-year MLB career in Kansas City, across two different stints. During his first stint, he tallied 1,373 of his strikeouts across 1,680 innings. He made one All-Star game during this stretch and finished third in Cy Young voting during the 1993 campaign.
Los Angeles Angels
Nolan Ryan – 2,416 strikeouts
Nolan Ryan appears on this list for the second time, this time as a Los Angeles Angel. After starting his career in Queens, Ryan established himself as an elite pitcher in Los Angeles. Across eight seasons in California, Ryan would lead the majors in all but one campaign and make five All-Star teams. During this stint, he would finish second in Cy Young voting once and finish third in voting twice.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw – 2,968 strikeouts
Clayton Kershaw sits at the top of a franchise record book that is in some elite company featuring Don Sutton, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax. Kershaw has won three NL Cy Young Awards and even took home the NL MVP during the 2014 campaign. During this season, the southpaw would post a 1.77 ERA (career-best) with a 0.86 WHIP, which is also a career-best. He has also won two championships with the Dodgers and made 10 All-Star games.
Miami Marlins
Ricky Nolasco – 1,001 strikeouts
Ricky Nolasco is the lone Marlin to earn a spot in the 1,000-strikeout club with the franchise. Nolasco spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career in Miami. During his tenure, Nolasco never led the majors in strikeouts or made the All-Star team. During his time in Miami, he held a cumulative 4.44 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP.
Milwaukee Brewers
Yovani Gallardo – 1,226 strikeouts
Yovani Gallardo nearly holds the spot on this list as Ben Sheets sits in the No. 2 spot with 1,206 strikeouts. Gallardo made just one All-Star team while in Milwaukee, during the 2010 campaign. Gallardo never led the majors in punchouts but was a consistent workhorse for the Brewers, which is why he sits at the top of this list. He averaged 34 starts per season as a Brewer.
Minnesota Twins
Walter Johnson – 3,509 strikeouts
Walter Johnson spent his entire Hall of Fame career pitching for the Washington Senators, who eventually became the Minnesota Twins. Across his 21 MLB seasons, Johnson led the majors in strikeouts in 12 of them and innings pitched in six. Johnson won two MVPs and finished top 5 in voting in two other campaigns. He also posted a league-leading ERA five times.
New York Mets
Tom Seaver – 2,541 strikeouts
Tom Seaver is the only New York Met to tally over 2,000 punchouts for the franchise. Seaver spent the first 12 seasons of his Hall of Fame career in Queens. As a Met, Seaver would lead the majors in strikeouts five times and tally a career-best 289 during the 1971 campaign. He would win three Cy Young awards and win Rookie of the Year during his debut campaign.
New York Yankees
Andy Pettitte – 2,020 strikeouts
Andy Pettitte spent time in the Bronx during two separate stints of his 18-year MLB career. Pettitte would pitch for the Yankees during 15 of those and the Astros for the other three. In New York, Pettitte would win five World Series championships and be a three-time All-Star. He would never lead the majors in strikeouts, but finished in the top 6 in AL Cy Young voting four times.
Philadelphia Phillies
Steve Carlton – 3,031 strikeouts
Steve Carlton spent 15 of his 24 MLB seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlton would win four Cy Young awards with the Phillies. He would lead the majors in punchouts five times and ERA once. Carlton was named to 10 career All-Star teams and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is also the Phillies pitcher to have over 2,000 career punchouts with the franchise.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Bob Friend – 1,682 strikeouts
Bob Friend nearly holds this title as Bob Veale sits as the close No. 2 with 1652 career punchouts with the Pirates. Friend spent 15 of his 16 MLB seasons in the Steel City. With the Pirates, Friend would never lead the majors in punchouts, but was a reliable starter as he led the majors in innings pitched twice. He set a career-best 314 IP during the 1956 campaign. During his career, he was named to four All-Star teams.
San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy – 1,348 strikeouts
Jake Peavy is one of just three Padres pitchers to tally over 1,000 punchouts with the franchise (Andy Benes and Trevor Hoffman being the others). Peavy spent the majority of his 15-year MLB career in San Diego. With the Padres, Peavy would lead the league in ERA and punchouts on two separate occasions. He also won the NL Cy Young during the 2007 campaign. He also made three All-Star rosters and held a 9.0 K/9 with the Friars.
San Francisco Giants
Christy Mathewson – 2,504 strikeouts
Chrisity Mathewson is one of just two players in franchise history to eclipse the 2,000 strikeout mark (Juan Marichal being the other). Pitching for the then-New York Giants, Mathewson won two Triple Crowns and won the ERA title five times. The right-hander won the 1905 World Series and led the majors in total punchouts five times.
Seattle Mariners
Felix Hernandez – 2,524 strikeouts
“King” Felix and Randy Johnson are the only two pitchers to tally over 2,000 strikeouts with the Seattle Mariners. Unlike Johnson, Hernandez would spend his entire career with the Seattle Mariners. Across a 15-year career, Hernandez never led the majors in strikeouts but was a consistent starter over just under two decades. He won just one Cy Young award but finished within the top 8 in voting in five other seasons.
St. Louis Cardinals
Bob Gibson – 3,117 strikeouts
Bob Gibson stands alone at the top of the St. Louis record books as he is the only player in franchise history to tally over 3,000 punchouts with the club. Gibson spent all 17 seasons of his legendary career with the Cardinals. Gibson captured two Cy Youngs and one ERA title during the 1968 season. Gibson was a nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP.
Tampa Bay Rays
James Shields – 1,250 strikeouts
James Shields nearly holds this record as Chris Archer and both David Price finished under 200 punchouts behind Shields. Shields spent seven seasons of his 13-year MLB career with the Tampa Bay Rays. As a Ray, Shields never led the majors in punchouts but did make one All-Star team. During that same campaign (2011), Shields finished third in AL Cy Young voting.
Texas Rangers
Charlie Hough – 1,452 strikeouts
After starting his career in Los Angeles, Charlie Hough would go on to spend 11 seasons in Texas. As a Rager, Hough would join Bobby Witt as the only players in franchise history to tally over 1,400 punchouts with the franchise. In Texas, he would make just one All-Star team but would lead the majors in innings during the 1987 campaign. He posted a modest 5.7 K/9 and relied on his volume to tally strikeouts.
Toronto Blue Jays
Dave Stieb – 1,658 strikeouts
Dave Stieb spent all but one of his 16 MLB seasons with Toronto. As a Blue Jay, Stieb would be named to seven All-Star teams and win the ERA title during the 1985 campaign. He finished within the top 7 in Cy Young voting four times in his career, but was never able to win the award. Steib also led the majors in WAR three times.
Washington Nationals
Stephen Strasburg – 1,723 strikeouts
The 2019 World Series MVP narrowly holds the top spot on the franchise record books. Strasburg only led the majors in strikeouts once (242) during the 2014 campaign and in wins (18) during the 2019 campaign. Strasburg was a three-time All-Star and finished within the top 9 in NL Cy Young voting three times. Strasburg was most known in Washington for his dominant performance during the 2019 World Series run.
