most career strikeouts by pitcher through 1948

Before 1949, Walter Johnson fanned the most batters, with 3,509 strikeouts.

	NAME	SO	G	W	L	W%	GS	ERA	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	R	HR	BB	HBP	GF	TBF	WP	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	K%	BB%	WHIP	BABIP	RA	ERA-	FIP	FIP-	H/9	PRAA
1	Walter Johnson W. Johnson	3,509	802	417	279	.599	666	2.17	531	110	34	5914.1	4,913	1,424	1,902	97	1,363	205	127	23,405	154	5.34	2.07	2.57	0.15	15.0	5.8	1.06	.264	2.89	68	2.42	76	7.48	472.8
2	Cy Young C. Young	2,803	906	511	316	.618	815	2.63	749	76	17	7356.0	7,092	2,147	3,167	138	1,217	161	84	29,565	156	3.43	1.49	2.30	0.17	9.5	4.1	1.13	.275	3.87	74	2.84	79	8.68	620
3	Tim Keefe T. Keefe	2,564	600	342	225	.603	594	2.63	554	39	2	5049.2	4,438	1,474	2,470	75	1,233	83	7	20,941	240	4.57	2.20	2.08	0.13	12.2	5.9	1.12	.257	4.40	79	2.92	87	7.91	239.2
4	Christy Mathewson C. Mathewson	2,507	636	373	188	.665	552	2.13	435	79	30	4788.2	4,219	1,135	1,620	89	848	59	73	18,913	115	4.71	1.59	2.96	0.17	13.3	4.5	1.06	.268	3.04	75	2.26	76	7.93	363
5	Rube Waddell R. Waddell	2,316	407	193	143	.574	340	2.16	261	50	5	2961.1	2,460	711	1,063	37	803	115	54	11,717	74	7.04	2.44	2.88	0.11	19.8	6.9	1.10	.287	3.23	75	2.03	71	7.48	262
6	Lefty Grove L. Grove	2,266	616	300	141	.680	457	3.06	298	35	54	3940.2	3,849	1,339	1,594	162	1,187	42	123	16,622	51	5.18	2.71	1.91	0.37	13.6	7.1	1.28	.284	3.64	68	3.36	76	8.79	462.8
7	Eddie Plank E. Plank	2,246	623	326	194	.627	529	2.35	410	69	23	4495.2	3,958	1,174	1,566	42	1,072	190	77	17,803	88	4.50	2.15	2.10	0.08	12.6	6.0	1.12	.275	3.14	81	2.45	86	7.92	195.2
8	Grover Alexander G. Alexander	2,198	696	373	208	.642	600	2.56	436	90	32	5190.0	4,868	1,476	1,852	165	951	70	81	20,893	38	3.81	1.65	2.31	0.29	10.5	4.6	1.12	.269	3.21	73	2.88	81	8.44	359.1
9	Dazzy Vance D. Vance	2,045	442	197	140	.585	349	3.24	217	29	12	2966.2	2,809	1,068	1,246	132	840	77	52	12,366	37	6.20	2.55	2.43	0.40	16.5	6.8	1.23	.289	3.78	81	3.18	79	8.52	288.3
10	Bobo Newsom B. Newsom	2,039	559	205	217	.486	476	3.98	244	31	18	3660.1	3,671	1,617	1,858	199	1,676	54	51	16,016	58	5.01	4.12	1.22	0.49	12.7	10.5	1.46	.288	4.57	95	3.79	91	9.03	150
11	Bob Feller B. Feller	2,000	348	177	98	.644	301	2.99	198	34	20	2471.0	1,961	822	911	108	1,246	37	36	10,407	59	7.28	4.54	1.61	0.39	19.2	12.0	1.30	.264	3.32	74	3.23	81	7.14	199.7
12	Red Ruffing R. Ruffing	1,987	624	273	225	.548	538	3.80	335	45	18	4344.0	4,284	1,833	2,115	254	1,541	58	69	18,546	46	4.12	3.19	1.29	0.53	10.7	8.3	1.34	.274	4.38	91	3.93	95	8.88	82.3
13	John Clarkson J. Clarkson	1,978	531	328	178	.648	518	2.81	485	37	5	4536.1	4,295	1,417	2,384	159	1,191	80	12	19,146	182	3.92	2.36	1.66	0.32	10.3	6.2	1.21	.263	4.73	75	3.35	88	8.52	289.8
14	Amos Rusie A. Rusie	1,950	463	246	174	.586	427	3.07	393	30	5	3778.2	3,389	1,288	2,068	75	1,707	112	35	16,313	153	4.64	4.07	1.14	0.18	12.0	10.5	1.35	.266	4.93	78	3.71	92	8.07	124.3
15	Kid Nichols K. Nichols	1,881	621	361	208	.634	562	2.96	532	48	17	5067.1	4,929	1,664	2,480	156	1,272	129	56	21,082	169	3.34	2.26	1.48	0.28	8.9	6.0	1.22	.271	4.40	73	3.48	85	8.75	377.8
16	Mickey Welch M. Welch	1,850	565	307	210	.594	549	2.71	525	41	4	4802.0	4,588	1,447	2,556	106	1,297	52	16	20,308	274	3.47	2.43	1.43	0.20	9.1	6.4	1.23	.264	4.79	88	3.28	103	8.60	-55.7
17	Old Hoss Radbourn O. Hoss Radbourn	1,830	527	309	194	.614	502	2.68	488	35	3	4527.1	4,328	1,347	2,273	118	875	54	24	18,918	214	3.64	1.74	2.09	0.23	9.7	4.6	1.15	.262	4.52	82	3.15	95	8.60	51
18	Tony Mullane T. Mullane	1,803	555	284	220	.563	504	3.05	468	30	15	4531.1	4,195	1,537	2,523	97	1,408	135	52	19,407	343	3.58	2.80	1.28	0.19	9.3	7.3	1.24	.258	5.01	85	3.54	99	8.33	25.1
19	Pud Galvin P. Galvin	1,799	697	361	308	.540	681	2.87	639	57	1	5941.1	6,352	1,895	3,315	121	744	54	18	25,160	220	2.73	1.13	2.42	0.18	7.2	3.0	1.19	.278	5.02	94	2.97	95	9.62	94.5
20	Ed Walsh E. Walsh	1,736	430	195	126	.607	315	1.82	250	57	35	2964.1	2,346	598	873	23	617	52	105	11,413	76	5.27	1.87	2.81	0.07	15.2	5.4	1.00	.259	2.65	69	2.02	79	7.12	164.3
21	Chief Bender C. Bender	1,711	459	212	127	.625	334	2.46	255	40	34	3017.0	2,645	823	1,108	40	712	102	112	11,895	79	5.10	2.12	2.40	0.12	14.4	6.0	1.11	.279	3.31	88	2.29	83	7.89	145.9
22	Jim McCormick J. McCormick	1,704	492	265	214	.553	485	2.43	466	33	1	4275.2	4,092	1,155	2,095	82	749	12	7	17,702	160	3.59	1.58	2.28	0.17	9.6	4.2	1.13	.265	4.41	86	2.88	100	8.61	-32.7
23	Red Ames R. Ames	1,702	533	183	167	.523	371	2.63	209	27	36	3198.0	2,896	934	1,313	41	1,034	64	118	13,080	156	4.79	2.91	1.65	0.12	13.0	7.9	1.23	.279	3.70	93	2.54	88	8.15	121.5
24	Charlie Buffinton C. Buffinton	1,700	414	233	152	.605	396	2.96	351	30	3	3404.0	3,344	1,120	1,824	87	856	31	17	14,465	174	4.49	2.26	1.99	0.23	11.8	5.9	1.23	.276	4.82	88	3.08	88	8.84	153.5
25	Carl Hubbell C. Hubbell	1,677	535	253	154	.622	433	2.98	260	36	33	3590.1	3,461	1,188	1,380	227	725	53	82	14,805	53	4.20	1.82	2.31	0.57	11.3	4.9	1.17	.267	3.46	76	3.55	89	8.68	174.2