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]
Players
Key
Pitcher
Name of the pitcher
Date
Date of the game
Team
The pitcher's team
Opposing team
The team against whom the pitcher struck out 18 players
Score
Final score of the game, with the pitcher's team score listed first
Seven different pitchers have struck out at least 18 batters in an
extra-inningMajor League Baseball (MLB) game to date. Only
Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat more than once in his career and no player has ever struck out more than 21 batters in a game.
The following list is kept separate from the above list of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning game. This is due to the differing number of
innings pitched during an extra-inning game, the lack of a definitive endpoint to the game that would otherwise allow for a fair comparison to be made, and the advantage of having more opportunities to strike out players during an extra-inning game as opposed to one lasting nine innings.
^18 strikeouts is utilized as the benchmark as that is normally two-thirds of a nine-inning game's 27
outs (while uncommon, a pitcher can record a strikeout that does not result in an out due to the
uncaught third strike rule).[2][3]
^Although the game went into extra innings (11 total), Johnson was relieved by
Byung-hyun Kim after nine innings.[62]
^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.
^Vaccaro, Frank.
"Hugh Daily". The Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research.
Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
^Bevis, Charlie.
"George Bignell". The Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research.
Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
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]
Players
Key
Pitcher
Name of the pitcher
Date
Date of the game
Team
The pitcher's team
Opposing team
The team against whom the pitcher struck out 18 players
Score
Final score of the game, with the pitcher's team score listed first
Seven different pitchers have struck out at least 18 batters in an
extra-inningMajor League Baseball (MLB) game to date. Only
Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat more than once in his career and no player has ever struck out more than 21 batters in a game.
The following list is kept separate from the above list of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning game. This is due to the differing number of
innings pitched during an extra-inning game, the lack of a definitive endpoint to the game that would otherwise allow for a fair comparison to be made, and the advantage of having more opportunities to strike out players during an extra-inning game as opposed to one lasting nine innings.
^18 strikeouts is utilized as the benchmark as that is normally two-thirds of a nine-inning game's 27
outs (while uncommon, a pitcher can record a strikeout that does not result in an out due to the
uncaught third strike rule).[2][3]
^Although the game went into extra innings (11 total), Johnson was relieved by
Byung-hyun Kim after nine innings.[62]
^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.
^Vaccaro, Frank.
"Hugh Daily". The Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research.
Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
^Bevis, Charlie.
"George Bignell". The Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research.
Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012.