List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders

A man wearing a navy blue baseball cap with an interlocking "NY" and grey baseball jersey with "NEW YORK" on the chest prepares to deliver a pitch.
A man in a gray baseball uniform with "ARIZONA" on the chest, a red baseball cap, and a tan baseball glove on his right hand with "51" on its side pitches a baseball with his left hand.
Roger Clemens (left) and Randy Johnson (right) are the only pitchers to strike out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning game on three separate occasions.

In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strikes to a batter during his time at bat.[1] Twenty different pitchers have struck out at least 18 batters in a single nine-inning Major League Baseball (MLB) game,[a] the most recent being Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals on May 11, 2016.[4] Four players have accomplished the feat more than once in their career; no player has ever struck out more than 20 batters in a nine-inning game. Charlie Sweeney was the first player to strike out 18 batters in a single game, doing so for the Providence Grays against the Boston Beaneaters on June 7, 1884.[5] In spite of this, Bob Feller is viewed as the first pitcher to accomplish the feat,[6][7] since his then-record 18 strikeouts was the first to occur during the 20th century and the live-ball era.[8]

Out of the twenty pitchers who have accomplished the feat, fifteen were right-handed and five pitched left-handed. Five of these players have played for only one major league team. Six pitchers—Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Max Scherzer—are also members of the 3,000 strikeout club. Sweeney has the fewest career strikeouts in the group with 505, while Nolan Ryan, with 5,714, struck out more batters than any other pitcher in major league history.[9] Bill Gullickson and Kerry Wood are the only rookies to have achieved the feat.[10][11] Tom Seaver concluded his milestone game by striking out the final ten batters he faced, setting a new major league record for most consecutive strikeouts.[12][13]

Of the eleven players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame who have struck out 18 batters in a game, six have been elected; all six were elected on the first ballot.[14] Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 major league seasons, and have either been retired for five seasons or deceased for at least six months.[15]

  1. ^ "Guide to baseball". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  2. ^ "Official Baseball Rules" (PDF). MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Official Rules: 6.00 – The Batter". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Collier, Jamal (May 12, 2016). "Roaring 20! Max Ties K Mark, Mauls Tigers". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Caruso, Gary (October 25, 1995). The Braves Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. pp. 15. ISBN 9781566393843. Retrieved December 1, 2012. charlie sweeney 19 strikeouts.
  6. ^ Goldstein, Richard (December 15, 2010). "Bob Feller, Whose Fastball Dazzled, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Blevins, Dave (December 23, 2011). The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer. Scarecrow Press. p. 15. ISBN 9781461673705. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  8. ^ Allen, Maury (May 8, 1961). "The 18 Strikeouts Of Bob Feller". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  9. ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference gullicksonref was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference woodref was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Bock, Hal (April 23, 1970). "Seaver Fans 19". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. p. 2B. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  13. ^ Costello, Brian (June 22, 2008). "Terr-whiff-ic! Seaver Ties Record With 19 Strikeouts". New York Post. p. 87. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2013.(subscription required)
  14. ^ "Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  15. ^ "Rules for Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2012.


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