List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders

Listed below are the pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning Major League game, with teams, dates and opponents:

20

• Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs (NL), May 6, 1998, vs. Houston.
• Roger Clemens (twice), Boston Red Sox (AL):

Sept. 18, 1996, at Detroit

April 29, 1986, vs. Seattle.

(NOTE: Randy Johnson struck out 20 Cincinnati Reds batters in a 9-inning start on May 8, 2001, but the game went into extra innings.)

19

• Randy Johnson (twice), Seattle Mariners (AL):
  • Aug. 8, 1997, vs. Chicago White Sox
  • June 24, 1997, vs. Oakland
• David Cone, New York Mets (NL), Oct. 6, 1991, at Philadelphia.
• Nolan Ryan, California Angels (AL), Aug 12, 1974, vs. Boston.
• Tom Seaver, New York Mets (NL), April 22, 1970, vs. San Diego.
• Steve Carlton, St. Louis Cardinals (NL), Sept. 15, 1969, vs. New York (NL).
• Hugh Daily, Chicago Browns (UA), July 7, 1884, vs. Boston.
• Charlie Sweeney, Providence Grays (NL), June 7, 1884, at Boston Beaneaters.

18

• Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers (NL), May 16, 2004, vs. Atlanta.
• Roger Clemens, Toronto Blue Jays (AL), Aug. 25, 1998, vs. Kansas City.
• Randy Johnson, Seattle Mariners (AL), Sept. 27, 1992, at Texas (8 innings).
• Ramón Martínez, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), June 4, 1990, vs. Atlanta.
• Bill Gullickson, Montreal Expos (NL), Sept. 10, 1980, vs Chicago.
• Ron Guidry, New York Yankees (AL), June 17, 1978, vs. California.
• Nolan Ryan, California Angels (AL), Sept. 10, 1976, at Chicago.
• Don Wilson, Houston Astros (NL), July 14, 1968, at Cincinnati.
• Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), April 24, 1962, at Chicago.
• Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), Aug. 31, 1959, vs. San Francisco.
• Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians (AL), Oct. 2, 1938, vs. Detroit.
• Henry Porter, Milwaukee Brewers (UA), Oct. 3, 1884, vs. Boston.
• Dupee Shaw, Boston Reds (UA), July 19, 1884, vs. St. Louis Maroons.

18 or more in extra-inning games

21

• Tom Cheney, Washington Senators (AL), September 12, 1962, at Baltimore. Cheney recorded 21 strikeouts in 16 innings of work, and had 13 strikeouts after nine innings.

20

• Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (NL), May 8, 2001, vs. Cincinnati. Johnson pitched 9 innings of an 11-inning game.

19

• Luis Tiant, Cleveland Indians (AL), July 3, 1968, vs. Minnesota. Tiant recorded 19 strikeouts in a 10 inning, complete game shutout. Tiant had 16 strikeouts at the end of nine innings.
• Nolan Ryan, California Angels vs. Boston Red Sox, June 14, 1974. Ryan recorded 19 strikeouts in 13 innings of a game the Angels won 4-3 in 15 innings. Ryan had 16 strikeouts through nine innings. Ironically, Tiant was the losing pitcher in this game.
• Nolan Ryan, California Angels vs. Detroit Tigers, August 20, 1974. Eight days after notching 19 strikeouts in nine innings to tie the (then) major league record, Ryan struck out 19 in 11 innings. He had 16 strikeouts through nine innings, but lost 1-0 to Mickey Lolich, who threw a shutout.
• Nolan Ryan, California Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays, June 8, 1977. Ryan struck out 19 in 10 innings of work, with 18 of those coming in the first nine innings. Ryan received a no-decision in a game the Angels won 2-1 in 13 innings.

Multiple accomplishments

The following pitchers have accomplished this feat more than once:

• Randy Johnson (3: 19, 19, 18)
• Roger Clemens (3: 20, 20, 18)
• Nolan Ryan (2: 19, 18)
• Sandy Koufax (2: 18, 18)

Notes

• The record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game by a minor league pitcher was set by Ron Necciai, who struck out 27 batters in a Class-D game between the Appalachian League Bristol Twins and the Welsh Miners (May 13, 1952).
• The overall record for most strikeouts in a major league game is 21, by Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators against the Baltimore Orioles, over 16 innings on Sept. 12, 1962 (Washington won 2-1).
• Seaver concluded his 19-strikeout performance by striking out the final ten batters he faced, setting a major league record for consecutive strikeouts.
• Steve Carlton, the first man to strike out 19 in the modern era, lost the game. Ron Swoboda struck out twice but hit a pair of two-run homers, and the Mets beat the Cardinals, 4-3. Randy Johnson also lost his first 19-strikeout game by a score of 4-1, largely due to a prodigious home run by Mark McGwire that reached the Kingdome's left field upper deck. Bob Feller lost his 18-strikeout game 4-1. In the 19th century, both Dupee Shaw and Henry Porter lost 18-strikeout games.
• Johnson had 20 strikeouts at the end of nine innings, yet he was removed from the game when it went into extra innings.
• Kerry Wood was only 20 when he struck out 20 batters, making him only the second pitcher to "strike out his age". On 13 September 1936, the Indians' Bob Feller, then only 17 years old, struck out 17 in a game, defeating the A's 5-2.
• Neither Clemens or Wood walked a batter during their 20-strikeout performances.
• Gullickson and Wood were rookies. Wood was also the second-youngest player in the Major Leagues at the time of his performance.

See also

• Strikeout
• List of rare baseball events

References and external links

• List at Retrosheet (scroll down)
• List of pitchers who have 15 K or more in a game, through May 2004