The new year means there is less than three months until baseball returns to Chicago. I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended. After a break for the holidays, we continue today on the defensive side of the ball with strike outs.
As always, the White Sox and Cubs are the leaders in this category based on the raw numbers, as they are the teams I’ve seen in action most often. When you adjust the numbers per game, both teams still fare well, placing fourth and third respectively. The California version of the Angels lead the way. with an even nine strike outs per game. The Miami iteration of the Marlins and the Devil Rays bring up the rear with an even five strike outs per game.
Strike Outs
| Team Name | Strike Outs |
|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 5387 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3558 |
| Kansas City Royals | 463 |
| Minnesota Twins | 457 |
| Cleveland Indians | 440 |
| Detroit Tigers | 407 |
| Houston Astros | 350 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 320 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 295 |
| Seattle Mariners | 271 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 254 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 251 |
| Texas Rangers | 247 |
| New York Yankees | 240 |
| Boston Red Sox | 239 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 231 |
| Oakland Athletics | 228 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 211 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 207 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 182 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 181 |
| San Francisco Giants | 176 |
| Florida Marlins | 156 |
| Atlanta Braves | 152 |
| San Diego Padres | 147 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 146 |
| Colorado Rockies | 138 |
| New York Mets | 127 |
| Washington Nationals | 115 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 113 |
| Montreal Expos | 26 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 25 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 23 |
| California Angels | 18 |
| Anaheim Angels | 11 |
| Miami Marlins | 10 |
Strike Outs per Game
| Team Name | Strike Outs |
|---|---|
| California Angels | 9 |
| Washington Nationals | 8.84615384615385 |
| Chicago Cubs | 8.14187643020595 |
| Chicago White Sox | 8.01636904761905 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 7.91304347826087 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 7.80487804878049 |
| New York Yankees | 7.74193548387097 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 7.66666666666667 |
| Colorado Rockies | 7.66666666666667 |
| San Francisco Giants | 7.65217391304348 |
| Cleveland Indians | 7.58620689655172 |
| New York Mets | 7.47058823529412 |
| Boston Red Sox | 7.46875 |
| Kansas City Royals | 7.46774193548387 |
| Oakland Athletics | 7.35483870967742 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 7.3 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 7.25714285714286 |
| Atlanta Braves | 7.23809523809524 |
| Houston Astros | 7.14285714285714 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 7.13793103448276 |
| San Diego Padres | 7 |
| Detroit Tigers | 6.89830508474576 |
| Florida Marlins | 6.78260869565217 |
| Seattle Mariners | 6.775 |
| Minnesota Twins | 6.72058823529412 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 6.7037037037037 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 6.64705882352941 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 6.41666666666667 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 6.41304347826087 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 6.39393939393939 |
| Texas Rangers | 6.33333333333333 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 6.275 |
| Anaheim Angels | 5.5 |
| Montreal Expos | 5.2 |
| Miami Marlins | 5 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 5 |