Ever wonder which league had the strikeouts during any given season? This is a comprehensive breakdown of both leagues showing the total number of strikeouts in each league and a major league total for every available season. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"It helps if the hitter thanks you're a little crazy." - Nolan Ryan
StrikeoutsLeague-by-League Totals | 1876 - 2023 |
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Year | A.L. | Year | N.L. | A.L. + N.L. |
1876 | - |
1876 | 589 |
589 |
1877 | - |
1877 | 726 |
726 |
1878 | - |
1878 | 1,081 |
1,081 |
1879 | - |
1879 | 1,843 |
1,843 |
1880 | - |
1880 | 1,993 |
1,993 |
1881 | - |
1881 | 1,784 |
1,784 |
1882 | - |
1882 | 942 |
942 |
1883 | - |
1883 | 864 |
864 |
1884 | - |
1884 | 1,566 |
1,566 |
1885 | - |
1885 | 1,406 |
1,406 |
1886 | - |
1886 | 1,103 |
1,103 |
1887 | - |
1887 | 2,821 |
2,821 |
1888 | - |
1888 | 3,998 |
3,998 |
1889 | - |
1889 | 3,492 |
3,492 |
1890 | - |
1890 | 3,581 |
3,581 |
1891 | - |
1891 | 3,641 |
3,641 |
1892 | - |
1892 | 5,964 |
5,964 |
1893 | - |
1893 | 3,341 |
3,341 |
1894 | - |
1894 | 3,306 |
3,306 |
1895 | - |
1895 | 3,603 |
3,603 |
1896 | - |
1896 | 3,526 |
3,526 |
1897 | - |
1897 | 601 |
601 |
1898 | - |
1898 | 768 |
768 |
1899 | - |
1899 | 667 |
667 |
1900 | - |
1900 | 586 |
586 |
1901 | 644 |
1901 | 569 |
1,213 |
1902 | 601 |
1902 | 689 |
1,290 |
1903 | 824 |
1903 | 792 |
1,616 |
1904 | 1,424 |
1904 | 1,006 |
2,430 |
1905 | 1,394 |
1905 | 951 |
2,345 |
1906 | 1,209 |
1906 | 856 |
2,065 |
1907 | 1,286 |
1907 | 833 |
2,119 |
1908 | 1,349 |
1908 | 995 |
2,344 |
1909 | 1,499 |
1909 | 799 |
2,298 |
1910 | 1,391 |
1910 | 4,415 |
5,806 |
1911 | 1,277 |
1911 | 4,798 |
6,075 |
1912 | 1,154 |
1912 | 4,627 |
5,781 |
1913 | 4,677 |
1913 | 4,606 |
9,283 |
1914 | 5,111 |
1914 | 4,655 |
9,766 |
1915 | 4,868 |
1915 | 4,728 |
9,596 |
1916 | 4,705 |
1916 | 4,829 |
9,534 |
1917 | 4,192 |
1917 | 4,487 |
8,679 |
1918 | 3,004 |
1918 | 2,921 |
5,925 |
1919 | 3,561 |
1919 | 3,288 |
6,849 |
1920 | 3,615 |
1920 | 3,632 |
7,247 |
1921 | 3,579 |
1921 | 3,380 |
6,959 |
1922 | 3,570 |
1922 | 3,380 |
6,950 |
1923 | 3,613 |
1923 | 3,408 |
7,021 |
1924 | 3,229 |
1924 | 3,408 |
6,637 |
1925 | 3,292 |
1925 | 3,373 |
6,665 |
1926 | 3,418 |
1926 | 3,359 |
6,777 |
1927 | 3,398 |
1927 | 3,491 |
6,889 |
1928 | 3,689 |
1928 | 3,410 |
7,099 |
1929 | 3,517 |
1929 | 3,465 |
6,982 |
1930 | 4,086 |
1930 | 3,848 |
7,934 |
1931 | 4,032 |
1931 | 3,862 |
7,894 |
1932 | 4,021 |
1932 | 3,857 |
7,878 |
1933 | 3,916 |
1933 | 3,528 |
7,444 |
1934 | 4,282 |
1934 | 4,150 |
8,432 |
1935 | 3,932 |
1935 | 4,072 |
8,004 |
1936 | 4,032 |
1936 | 4,203 |
8,235 |
1937 | 4,448 |
1937 | 4,553 |
9,001 |
1938 | 4,242 |
1938 | 4,093 |
8,335 |
1939 | 4,306 |
1939 | 4,195 |
8,501 |
1940 | 4,720 |
1940 | 4,329 |
9,049 |
1941 | 4,418 |
1941 | 4,408 |
8,826 |
1942 | 4,138 |
1942 | 4,187 |
8,325 |
1943 | 4,491 |
1943 | 4,055 |
8,546 |
1944 | 4,239 |
1944 | 3,946 |
8,185 |
1945 | 4,179 |
1945 | 3,865 |
8,044 |
1946 | 5,225 |
1946 | 4,471 |
9,696 |
1947 | 4,628 |
1947 | 4,529 |
9,157 |
1948 | 4,298 |
1948 | 4,718 |
9,016 |
1949 | 4,364 |
1949 | 4,587 |
8,951 |
1950 | 4,547 |
1950 | 5,007 |
9,554 |
1951 | 4,589 |
1951 | 4,746 |
9,335 |
1952 | 5,140 |
1952 | 5,240 |
10,380 |
1953 | 4,906 |
1953 | 5,307 |
10,213 |
1954 | 5,129 |
1954 | 5,086 |
10,215 |
1955 | 5,384 |
1955 | 5,419 |
10,803 |
1956 | 5,811 |
1956 | 5,693 |
11,504 |
1957 | 5,798 |
1957 | 6,150 |
11,948 |
1958 | 6,033 |
1958 | 6,192 |
12,225 |
1959 | 6,079 |
1959 | 6,525 |
12,604 |
1960 | 5,991 |
1960 | 6,824 |
12,815 |
1961 | 8,325 |
1961 | 6,622 |
14,947 |
1962 | 8,535 |
1962 | 9,032 |
17,567 |
1963 | 9,228 |
1963 | 9,545 |
18,773 |
1964 | 9,956 |
1964 | 9,256 |
19,212 |
1965 | 9,634 |
1965 | 9,649 |
19,283 |
1966 | 9,493 |
1966 | 9,312 |
18,805 |
1967 | 9,945 |
1967 | 9,468 |
19,413 |
1968 | 9,641 |
1968 | 9,502 |
19,143 |
1969 | 10,845 |
1969 | 11,628 |
22,473 |
1970 | 10,957 |
1970 | 11,417 |
22,374 |
1971 | 10,414 |
1971 | 10,542 |
20,956 |
1972 | 10,174 |
1972 | 10,544 |
20,718 |
1973 | 9,851 |
1973 | 10,507 |
20,358 |
1974 | 9,524 |
1974 | 9,971 |
19,495 |
1975 | 9,487 |
1975 | 9,793 |
19,280 |
1976 | 9,143 |
1976 | 9,602 |
18,745 |
1977 | 11,234 |
1977 | 10,488 |
21,722 |
1978 | 10,153 |
1978 | 9,905 |
20,058 |
1979 | 10,115 |
1979 | 9,920 |
20,035 |
1980 | 10,363 |
1980 | 9,849 |
20,212 |
1981 | 6,905 |
1981 | 6,332 |
13,237 |
1982 | 10,921 |
1982 | 10,300 |
21,221 |
1983 | 10,967 |
1983 | 10,749 |
21,716 |
1984 | 11,571 |
1984 | 10,929 |
22,500 |
1985 | 11,777 |
1985 | 10,674 |
22,451 |
1986 | 13,058 |
1986 | 11,648 |
24,706 |
1987 | 13,442 |
1987 | 11,657 |
25,099 |
1988 | 12,323 |
1988 | 11,032 |
23,355 |
1989 | 12,296 |
1989 | 11,354 |
23,650 |
1990 | 12,689 |
1990 | 11,164 |
23,853 |
1991 | 12,944 |
1991 | 11,446 |
24,390 |
1992 | 12,196 |
1992 | 11,342 |
23,538 |
1993 | 12,952 |
1993 | 13,358 |
26,310 |
1994 | 9,619 |
1994 | 10,147 |
19,766 |
1995 | 12,116 |
1995 | 13,309 |
25,425 |
1996 | 14,056 |
1996 | 15,253 |
29,309 |
1997 | 14,617 |
1997 | 15,320 |
29,937 |
1998 | 14,438 |
1998 | 17,455 |
31,893 |
1999 | 13,967 |
1999 | 17,153 |
31,120 |
2000 | 14,012 |
2000 | 17,344 |
31,356 |
2001 | 14,496 |
2001 | 17,908 |
32,404 |
2002 | 14,233 |
2002 | 17,161 |
31,394 |
2003 | 13,861 |
2003 | 16,940 |
30,801 |
2004 | 14,529 |
2004 | 17,299 |
31,828 |
2005 | 13,764 |
2005 | 16,880 |
30,644 |
2006 | 14,225 |
2006 | 17,426 |
31,651 |
2007 | 14,739 |
2007 | 17,449 |
32,188 |
2008 | 14,827 |
2008 | 18,050 |
32,877 |
2009 | 15,309 |
2009 | 18,282 |
33,591 |
2010 | 15,214 |
2010 | 19,092 |
34,306 |
2011 | 15,588 |
2011 | 18,901 |
34,489 |
2012 | 16,619 |
2012 | 19,807 |
36,426 |
2013 | 18,336 |
2013 | 18,374 |
36,710 |
2014 | 18,245 |
2014 | 19,196 |
37,441 |
2015 | 18,259 |
2015 | 19,187 |
37,446 |
2016 | 19,098 |
2016 | 19,886 |
38,984 |
2017 | 19,794 |
2017 | 20,310 |
40,104 |
2018 | 20,206 |
2018 | 21,001 |
41,207 |
2019 | 21,415 |
2019 | 21,407 |
42,822 |
2020 | 7,912 |
2020 | 7,669 |
15,581 |
2021 | 20,873 |
2021 | 21,231 |
42,104 |
2022 | 20,185 |
2022 | 20,627 |
40,812 |
2023 | 21,261 |
2023 | 20,565 |
41,826 |
Year | A.L. | Year | N.L. | A.L. + N.L. |
Strikeouts League by League Totals |
Is the current trend "good" for baseball? Should the mound be raised to its original height to assist the pitcher or is the increase in strikeouts proof that they do not need assistance? Tell us what YOU think on Baseball Fever.
On May 16, 1929, Joe Sewell struck out. On September 20, 1929, Joe Sewell struck out. Between those dates Sewell played a Major League record one-hundred fifteen consecutive games without striking out.
Did you know that during the 1884 season Old Hoss Radbourn struck out a National League record four-hundred forty-one Major League batters.