The Ten Pitchers with the Most World Series Strikeouts

In the long history of the World Series, which was first played to determine Major League Baseball supremacy between the two leagues in 1903, the most strikeouts recorded by one pitcher is 94, by the great Whitey Ford. Ford heads the all-time list of most World Series strikeouts by a pitcher, but barely, as the Cardinals' Bob Gibson just fell a couple short, but not for lack of trying. Ford and Gibson are well ahead of the rest of the pack in the top ten pitcher's strikeout inventory, and are in scant danger of relinquishing their spots anytime in the near future, if ever.

Ford pitched for the dominant Yankee teams from 1950 until 1968, and he was on the hill in eleven World Series. Whitey, whose real name was Eddie, struck out his 94 batters in 22 contests, and pitched to a fine earned run average of 2.71. His ten WS wins is the most all time, as is his eight defeats. Gibson had considerably less games to accomplish his feat in, since he went to the post-season just three times, in 1964, 1967, and 1968. He certainly made the most of his chances though, as he fanned his 92 in just nine tilts. Incredibly, Gibson threw complete games in every one of his World Series starts except for one, including one in which he toiled for ten frames in the '64 Series versus the Yankees. Gibson struck out a still record seventeen Tigers in the opener of the 1968 title chase, and he had a ridiculous 1.89 earned run average in his World Series efforts, whiffing 92 in 81 innings. In many ways, Gibson's pitching stats dwarf those of even Ford.

The third most career World Series strikeouts belong to Yankee stalwart Allie Reynolds, but you go all the way down to a total of 62 to get there. Reynolds was 7-2 in six Fall Classics, all of which the Yankees emerged as the victors. Allie was known as "Superchief" because of his Indian heritage, and he was indeed super when it came to October hurling, as he sent his 62 batters back to the pine in just 71 innings.

Sandy Koufax and Red Ruffing were totally different pitchers, one a power arm and the other a finesse man on the mound, but they both finished with 61 World Series strikeouts. Koufax had four complete games among his eight starts in the post-season and was at his best in the early fall; his 0.65 ERA is the best of these ten players and he allowed just 36 hits in 57 innings. Ruffing was more than happy to pitch for the Yankee juggernaut teams of Ruth and DiMaggio in the Thirties and early Forties, going 7-2 as his squads lost only the 1942 Series in seven tries.

Number six on the World Series strikeouts by a pitcher roster is another Native American, Chief Bender, a star for the Philadelphia A's from 1903 until 1917. Bender befuddled hitters in the Series he played in to the tune of 59 strike outs and a 2.44 ERA. In the seventh slot we find another Athletic pitcher, George Earnshaw, who was on the wonderful Philly teams of the late Twenties and early Thirties that featured Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons. George was no slouch on the hill, throwing the pea past 56 batters in his eight outings and compiling a 1.58 ERA.

A duo of active players occupies the eighth and ninth places on this list, John Smoltz of the Braves and Roger Clemens of the Yankees. Smoltz and Clemens have struck out World Series batters at a clip of about one every inning; Smoltz has fanned 52 in 51 frames and Clemens has whiffed 49 in 49 and a 1/3 innings. Smoltz is forty years old, so Ford need not worry that he will ever approach his standard, while Clemens is even older at 45 and no threat to garnering the additional strike outs he would need to break Ford's 94. The tenth man on the inventory is Yankee hurler Waite Hoyt, who like Ruffing played for those Ruthian squads. Hoyt had 49 in over 83 innings, but did have a fine 1.83 ERA in his seven World Series, which would have even better except for a bad outing against the Giants in 1923 that really hurt his stats. Of the tem men just mentioned, of those that are eligible, only Earnshaw and Reynolds are not in the Hall of Fame, although Allie certainly has a case, as he went 182-107 with a 3.30 ERA.