# This should be a simple baseball trivia question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 9, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427 "2008-08-09T18:28:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/1 "2008-08-09T18:28:30Z")
Where is a site that I can use to see who stuck out more opposing pitchers: Randy Johnson or Nolan Ryan? I’d also like to see how many opposing pitchers Roger Clemens struck out. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/2 "2008-08-09T19:07:09Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Where is a site that I can use to see who stuck out more opposing pitchers: Randy Johnson or Nolan Ryan? I’d also like to see how many opposing pitchers Roger Clemens struck out. [/QUOTE] I doubt that it’s that simple…I’ve never seen a breakdown of strikeouts by position. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/3 "2008-08-09T21:03:49Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Where is a site that I can use to see who stuck out more opposing pitchers: Randy Johnson or Nolan Ryan? I’d also like to see how many opposing pitchers Roger Clemens struck out. [/QUOTE] This would in fact be an exceptionally difficult question to answer, and there may not be an absolutely clear answer at all. Until fairly recently (relatively speaking) baseball did not keep precise track of detailed boxscores throughout history, so knowing precisely how many pitchers Nolan Ryan struck out in 1969 is something that would have to be peiced together with a lot fo primary source research. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/4 "2008-08-09T21:06:32Z")
One would assume that Nolan Ryan – who spent 15 years in the NL (including one year in the pre-DH Al) would have more strikeouts than Johnson, who spend only 11 years there. However, you can check it out at Baseball reference – just identify the pitchers and add up the numbers. [Ryan](http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/p-pvb.cgi?n1=ryanno01#choice=&bats=&minPA2=0&minPA=0&orderbydir=DESC&orderbydirb=ASC&n1=ryanno01&as=pitcher&year_game=career&opp_id=&orderby=PA&orderbyb=Name) [Johnson](http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/p-pvb.cgi?n1=johnsra05#choice=&bats=&minPA2=1&minPA=1&orderbydir=DESC&orderbydirb=ASC&n1=johnsra05&as=pitcher&year_game=career&opp_id=&orderby=SO&orderbyb=Name) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/5 "2008-08-10T00:07:42Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] However, you can check it out at Baseball reference – just identify the pitchers and add up the numbers. [Ryan](http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/p-pvb.cgi?n1=ryanno01#choice=&bats=&minPA2=0&minPA=0&orderbydir=DESC&orderbydirb=ASC&n1=ryanno01&as=pitcher&year_game=career&opp_id=&orderby=PA&orderbyb=Name) [Johnson](http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/p-pvb.cgi?n1=johnsra05#choice=&bats=&minPA2=1&minPA=1&orderbydir=DESC&orderbydirb=ASC&n1=johnsra05&as=pitcher&year_game=career&opp_id=&orderby=SO&orderbyb=Name) [/QUOTE] Wow. Baseball Reference has everything. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/6 "2008-08-10T01:38:24Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] Wow. Baseball Reference has everything. [/QUOTE] These guys are truly fan-atics. Only Star Trek/Star Wars geeks can compete. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/7 "2008-08-11T16:54:08Z")
With a little more work, I found Baseball Refence does have the information: Nolan Ryan: 370 pitchers struck out. Randy Johnson: 244 pitchers struck out Roger Clemens: 64 pitchers struck out. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/8 "2008-08-11T19:14:01Z")
Well, I don’t think anyone really expected Clemens to be a factor in that discussion. Steve Carlton or Walter Johnson, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/9 "2008-08-11T19:57:37Z")
Carlton: 663, by far the winner (of modern pitchers). It helped he spent nearly all his career in the NL. Tom Seaver had 448, and John Smoltz is up to 376. Walter Johnson pitched too far back for the data to be available . . .yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-a-simple-baseball-trivia-question/459427/10 "2008-08-11T19:58:43Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Well, I don’t think anyone really expected Clemens to be a factor in that discussion. Steve Carlton or Walter Johnson, maybe. [/QUOTE] The top 20 all time strike out kings with the winner being Steve Carlton. Though, data only goes back to 1956. I’d be willing to bet that Walter Johnson would give him a run for his money. And, Jim Bunning had 25% of his Ks against pitchers. 1. Nolan Ryan 370 2. Randy Johnson 244 3. Roger Clemens 64 4. Steve Carlton 663 5. Bert Blyleven 157 6. Tom Seaver 448 7. Don Sutton 450 8. Gaylord Perry 343 9. Walter Johnson No Data 10. Greg Maddux 413 11. Phil Niekro 331 12. Fergie Jenkins 294 13. Bob Gibson 468 14. Curt Schilling 269 15. Pedro Martinez 159 16. John Smoltz 376 17. Jim Bunning 427 18. Mickey Lolich 316 19. Cy Young No Data 20. Frank Tanana 22