MLB All-Time ERA Leaders

Career MLB Earned Run Allowed Leaders
RankPlayer Team(s)
ERA
Innings
1Ed Walsh Chicago White Sox (1904 - 1916)
Boston Braves (1917)
1.82
2,964.1
2Addie Joss Cleveland Blues (1902 - 1904)
Cleveland Naps (1905 - 1910)
1.89
2,327.0
3 Jim Devlin  Louisville Grays (1876 - 1877)
1.89
1,181.0
4Jack Pfiester Pittsburgh Pirates (1903 - 1904)
Chicago Cubs (1906 - 1911)
2.02
1,067.1
5Joe Wood  Boston Red Sox (1908 - 1915)
Cleveland Indians (1917 -1920)
2.03
1,436.1
6Mordecai Brown St. Louis Cardinals (1903)
Chicago Cubs (1904 - 1912)
Cincinnati Reds (1913)
Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914)
St. Louis Terriers (1914)
Chicago Whalers (1915)
Chicago Cubs (1916)
2.06
3,172.1
7John Ward Louisville Grays (1878 - 1882)
New York Gothams (1883 - 1884)
2.10
2,461.2
8Christy Mathewson New York Giants (1900 - 1916)
Cincinnati Reds (1917)
2.13
4,780.2
9Al Spalding Boston Red Stockings (1871 - 1875)
Chicago White Stockings (1876 - 1877)
2.14
2890.7
10Rube WaddellLouisville Colonels (1897 and 1899)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1900 -1901)
Chicago Orphans (1901)
Philadelphia Athletics (1902 - 1907)
St. Louis Browns (1908 - 1910)
2.16
2,961.1
11Walter Johnson Washington Senators (1907 - 1927)
2.17
5,914.1
T12Orval Overall  Cincinnati Reds (1905 - 1906)
Chicago Cubs (1906 - 1910, 1913)
2.23
1,535.1
T12Jake Weimer Chicago Cubs (1903 - 1905)
Cincinnati Reds (1906 - 1908)
New York Giants (1909)
2.23
1472.7
14 * Mariano Rivera  New York Yankees (1995 - present)
2.25
1090.0
T15Ed Reulbach  Chicago Cubs (1905 - 1913)
Brooklyn Superbas (1913 - 1914)
Newark Pepper (1915) *Federal League
Boston Braves (1916 - 1917)
2.28
2632.3
T15Babe Ruth Boston Braves (1914 - 1919)
New York Yankees (1920 - 1921, 1930 - 1931)
2.28
1221.3
T15Will White  Boston Red Caps (1877)
Cincinnati Reds (1878 - 1880)
Detroit Wolverines (1881)
Cincinnati Red Stocking (1882 - 1886)
2.28
3542.7
17Jim Scott  Chicago White Sox (1909 - 1917)
2.30
1892.0
19Tommy Bond  Brooklyn Atlantics (1874)
Hartford Dark Blues (1875 - 1876)
Boston Red Caps (1887 - 1881)
Worchester Ruby Legs (1882)
Boston Reds (1884) *Union Assoc.
Indiana Hoosiers (1884) *American Assoc.
2.31
3628.7
20Reb Russell Chicago White Sox (1913 - 1919)
2.33
1291.7
T21Andy Coakley  Philadelphia Athletics (1902 - 1906)
Cincinnati Reds (1907 - 1908)
Chicago Cubs (1908 - 1909)
New York Yankees (1911)
2.35
1072.3
T21Eddie Plank Philadelphia Athletics (1901 - 1914)
St. Louis Terriers (1915) *Federal League
St. Louis Browns (1916 - 1917)
2.35
4495.7
23Larry Corcoran  Chicago White Stockings (1880 - 1885)
New York Giants (1885)
Washington Nationals (1886)
Indianapolis Hoosiers (1887)
2.36
2392.3
T24Eddie Cicotte  Detroit Tigers (1905)
Boston Red Sox (1908 - 1912)
Chicago White Sox (1912 - 1920)
2.38
3223.3
T24Ed Killian Cleveland Naps (1903)
Detroit Tigers (1904 - 1910)
2.38
1598.3
T24George McQuillan  Philadelphia Phillies (1907 - 1910)
Cincinnati Reds (1911)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1913 - 1915)
Philadelphia Phillies (1915 - 1916)
Cleveland Indians (1918)
2.38
1576.3
T27Harry Coveleski Philadelphia Phillies (1907 - 1909)
Cincinnati Reds (1910)
Detroit Tigers (1914 - 1918)
2.39
1248.0
T27Doc White Philadelphia Phillies (1901 - 1902)
Chicago White Sox (1903 - 1913)
2.39
3041.0
T29George Bradley  St. Louis Brown Stockings (1875 - 1876)
Chicago White Stockings (1887)
Troy Trojans (1879)
Providence Grays (1880)
Cleveland Blues (1881 - 1882)
Philadelphia Athletics (1883)
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884)
2.42
2940.0
T29Carl Lundgren  Chicago Orphans (1902)
Chicago Cubs (1903 - 1909)
2.42
1322.0
T29Nap Rucker Brooklyn Superbas (1907 - 1910)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1911 - 1912)
Brooklyn Superbas (1913)
Brooklyn Robins (1914 - 1916)
2.42
2375.3
T32Joe Benz  Chicago White Sox (1911 - 1919)
2.43
1359.7
T32Terry Larkin  New York Mutuals (1876)
Hartford Dark Blues (1877)
Chicago White Stockings (1878 - 1879)
Troy Trojans (1880)
2.43
1567.3
T32Jim McCormick  Indianapolis Blues (1878)
Cleveland Blues (1879 - 1884)
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (1884)
Providence Grays (1885)
Chicago White Stockings (1885 - 1886)
Pittsburg Alleghenys (1887)
2.43
4275.7
T32Jeff Tesreau  New York Giants (1912 - 1918)
2.43
1679.0
36Chief Bender Philadelphia Athletics (1903 - 1914)
Baltimore Terrapins (1915) *Federal League
Philadelphia Phillies (1916 - 1917)
Chicago White Sox (1925)
2.46
3017.0
T37Sam Leever  Pittsburgh Pirates (1898 - 1910)
2.47
2660.7
T37Lefty Leifield Pittsburgh Pirates (1905 - 1912)
Chicago Cubs (1912 - 1913)
St. Louis Browns (1918 - 1920)
2.47
1838.0
T37Hooks Wiltse New York Giants (1904 - 1914)
Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1915) *Federal League
2.47
2112.3
T40Candy Cummings New York Mutuals (1872)
Baltimore Canaries (1873)
Philadelphia Whites (1874)
Hartford Dark Blues (1875 - 1876)
Cincinnati Reds (1877)
2.49
2149.7
T40Bob Ewing  Cincinnati Reds (1902 - 1909)
Philadelphia Phillies (1910 - 1911)
St. Louis Cardinals (1912)
2.49
2301.0
T40Hippo Vaughn New York Yankees (1908, 1910- 1912)
Washington Senators (1912)
Chicago Cubs (1913 - 1921)
2.49
2730.0

* Denotes active player
Updated: Oct. 15th 2009

Sources:
baseball-reference.com
baseball-almanac.com
wikipedia.org
thebaseballcube.com