Earned Run Average : 2004 American League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Maybe I missed my routine and my game so much that I was trying to rationalize reasons for getting it back. I wanted those 162 games. I wanted all the suspense of the playoff and home run races. And I honestly didn't believe baseball would bend far enough to allow the possibility of games in November. I was wrong. And baseball was right." - Paul White in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 14, 2001)
 

2004 Earned Run Average Leaders

Top 25 in the American League

Johan Santana 2.61 (2.6053) Minnesota Twins 1
Curt Schilling 3.26 (3.2559) Boston Red Sox 2
Jake Westbrook 3.38 (3.3802) Cleveland Indians 3
Brad Radke 3.48 (3.4825) Minnesota Twins 4
Tim Hudson 3.53 (3.5300) Oakland Athletics 5
Rodrigo Lopez 3.59 (3.5859) Baltimore Orioles 6
Freddy Garcia 3.81 (3.8143) Seattle Mariners 7
Chicago White Sox  
Mark Buehrle 3.89 (3.8886) Chicago White Sox 8
Pedro Martinez 3.90 (3.8986) Boston Red Sox 9
Kelvim Escobar 3.93 (3.9312) Anaheim Angels 10
Rich Harden 3.99 (3.9859) Oakland Athletics 11
Bronson Arroyo 4.03 (4.0298) Boston Red Sox 12
Ted Lilly 4.06 (4.0591) Toronto Blue Jays 13
C.C. Sabathia 4.12 (4.1170) Cleveland Indians 14
Ryan Drese 4.20 (4.2038) Texas Rangers 15
Carlos Silva 4.21 (4.2118) Minnesota Twins 16
Mike Maroth 4.31 (4.3134) Detroit Tigers 17
Jon Lieber 4.33 (4.3302) New York Yankees 18
Mark Mulder 4.43 (4.4269) Oakland Athletics 19
Barry Zito 4.48 (4.4789) Oakland Athletics 20
Mike Mussina 4.59 (4.5911) New York Yankees 21
John Lackey 4.67 (4.6740) Anaheim Angels 22
Mark Redman 4.71 (4.7120) Oakland Athletics 23
Kenny Rogers 4.76 (4.7622) Texas Rangers 24
Miguel Batista 4.80 (4.8020) Toronto Blue Jays 25



The most recognizable Detroit Tiger to wear the number twenty-five was probably Norm Cash (who wore it from 1960 through 1974), but did you know that Hall of Famer Larry Doby also wore it during his single season with Detroit?

Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.