Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Globe Life Field. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Rangers' Jacob deGrom Surpasses Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw For Lowest ERA in Live-Ball Era

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 11:01 AM ET

When Clayton Kershaw took the mound against the New York Mets on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw stood alone with the lowest ERA in MLB's live-ball era.

By the time he was chased out of the game, that title belonged to Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom.

DeGrom didn't even pitch on Tuesday, with Kershaw's struggles resulting in the changeover at the top of the leaderboard. He gave up five runs – three of which were earned – in 4.2 innings of work at Dodger Stadium.

That brought Kershaw's season ERA up to 5.17, and his career ERA up to 2.52.

DeGrom, meanwhile, lowered his season ERA to 2.34 with a quality start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. His career ERA now sits at 2.51, one point below Kershaw's.

Among players with at least 100 starts since the live-ball era began in 1920, Whitey Ford is the only other pitcher with an ERA of 2.75 or lower.

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Of course, Kershaw has made 433 starts in the big leagues compared to deGrom's 230. And as a 10-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young and two-time World Series champion, Kershaw hardly has any gaps on his resume.

Kershaw is just 24 strikeouts away from reaching 3,000 for his career, after all.

DeGrom is a four-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young himself, but injuries have limited to 266.2 innings over the past five seasons. Still, he has a 2.09 ERA and 0.758 WHIP in that span, dating back to his time with the Mets, all while retaining the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio in MLB history at 5.33.

Whether or not deGrom can punch his ticket to Cooperstown remains to be seen, while Kershaw will undoubtedly make it in on his first go-round. The soon-to-be 37-year-old has yet to reach 100 wins or 2,000 strikeouts, standing in opposition to his historic rate stats.

For now, deGrom will prepare for his upcoming start against the Washington Nationals this weekend, looking to preserve his status atop the ERA leaderboard.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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