Cincinnati Reds All-Time ERA Leaders

The Cincinnati Reds are the oldest Major League Baseball franchise, having formed in 1882 as the Red Stockings and becoming just the Reds in 1890.  Despite having been around all those years, the Reds only have five world titles to their name.  That’s still better than teams like the Cubs, but not nearly as many as the mighty Yankees.  Anyway, the Reds have almost always been competitive, save for the 21^st century.  Here is a short list of the Reds’ all-time pitching leaders in earned run average (ERA) to date:

Andy Coakley (2.11)—Andy Coakley pitched for the Reds for a short time, in 1907 and part of 1908.  But in that time, Coakley pitched very well, racking up a 2.11 ERA to rank first in Reds’ history in that department.  Coakley had a very good season for both the Reds and A’s in 1908, but 1907 was one of his best seasons as a pro.  That year, Coakley went 17-16 with a 2.34 ERA and 89 strikeouts.

Fred Toney (2.18)—Fred Toney pitched in Cincinnati from 1915 to 1918 and ranks second in franchise history with a 2.18 earned run average.  Toney won a career high 24 games in 1917, but perhaps his best overall season was 1915.  That year, he went 17-6 with a career best 1.58 ERA and 108 strikeouts.

Dutch Ruether (2.26)—Dutch Ruether pitched for the Reds from 1917 to 1920 and he ranks third in team history with a 2.26 ERA.  Ruether had arguably his best season with the Reds in 1919.  That year, he went 19-6 with a career best 1.82 ERA and 78 K’s. 

Jake Weimer (2.31)—Jake Weimer pitched in Cincinnati from 1906 to 1908 and ranks fourth in Reds’ history with a 2.31 earned run average.  Weimer had a career best 1.91 mark with the Cubs, but his best season for the Reds was in 1906.  That year, he went 20-14 (tied career high in wins) with a 2.22 ERA and 141 strikeouts.

Bob Ewing (2.37)—Bob Ewing played for the Reds from 1902 to 1909 and he ranks fifth in franchise history with a 2.37 ERA mark.  Ewing had a career best 1.73 ERA in 1907, but his best overall season was probably 1905.  That year, Ewing had career highs in wins (20-11) and strikeouts (164) with a very respectable 2.51 ERA.