These relievers have the most strikeouts in MLB history

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In his age-38 season, is still going strong.

The flame-throwing left-hander is rewriting the history books, too. Chapman struck out Baltimore's Tyler O'Neill in the ninth inning of a 5-3 Red Sox win on April 26. In doing so, he moved into sole possession of second place on the list of relievers with the most strikeouts all time. It marked Chapman's 1,341st strikeout, putting him just 22 strikeouts shy of the all-time leader, Hoyt Wilhelm.

Here's a look at the 14 pitchers in MLB history to have at least 1,000 strikeouts as a reliever, ranked by their career strikeout totals. (Totals listed are through April 26, 2026.)

1. : 1,363 strikeouts
One of history’s greatest knuckleballers, Wilhelm pitched until he was 49 years old and threw 2,254 1/3 innings (1,872 1/3 as a reliever) despite spending most of his career coming out of the bullpen. Wilhelm even won a pair of ERA titles -- pacing the NL as a rookie in 1952 (2.43) while making all of his 71 appearances in relief, then leading MLB in ’59 (2.19), the only season he pitched the majority of his games as a starter.

2. : 1,341 strikeouts
Chapman threw just eight pitches in his MLB debut on Aug. 31, 2010, but that sample was more than enough for the left-hander to make a statement: Half of his pitches were thrown 100.0+ mph. In the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), Chapman has thrown 3,968 pitches over 100.0 mph, more than double the next closest pitcher. With high-octane heat, it’s not a surprise that the eight-time All-Star has posted a 12.0 K/9 or better in 16 of his 17 MLB seasons, entering 2026.

3. : 1,340 strikeouts
Few relievers can match Gossage's big-game pedigree. The man known best as "Goose" recorded the final out to clinch a division title, league championship or World Series title seven times during his career. Memorably, that included the 1978 Fall Classic, when Gossage calmly retired the final six Dodgers to seal the Yankees’ 22nd championship. Of his 310 career saves, 117 were of the multi-inning variety.

4. : 1,287 strikeouts
It’s hard to imagine this now, given that he’s likely heading to the Hall of Fame as a closer, but Jansen was originally signed by the Dodgers as a catcher. It’s safe to say that the position switch worked out. Using a uniquely devastating cutter, Jansen established himself as one of the best leverage arms in baseball history. He's currently the active saves leader in MLB and surpassed Lee Smith for third place on the all-time saves list earlier in 2026.

5. : 1,286 strikeouts
In his rookie season in 2011, Kimbrel made the All-Star team, notched 46 saves and struck out 127 batters in 77 innings -- a strong enough performance to finish ninth place in NL Cy Young Award voting and to capture a Rookie of the Year Award. As it turns out, that was simply a prelude for everything to come. The nine-time All-Star entered the 2026 season with 440 saves. The image of Kimbrel’s unique stance hunched over on the mound surely still gives the opposition nightmares.

6. : 1,225 strikeouts
Smith retired in 1997 holding the record in career saves, with 478. Many remember his 1991 season -- Smith’s 12th year in the Majors -- when he made a surprising bid for the NL Cy Young Award, ultimately finishing in second place behind Atlanta’s Tom Glavine. It was the first of three times that Smith finished in the top-five in Cy Young Award voting. The seven-time All-Star earned his long-awaited induction into Cooperstown 22 years after his career ended in 2019.

7. : 1,196 strikeouts
Wagner received a long-awaited call to the Hall of Fame last January, earning induction to Cooperstown in his 10th and final year on the ballot. The left-hander finished his career with 422 saves across 16 seasons with five different teams; among left-handers, only John Franco has more saves. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner even finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1999, when he posted a 1.57 ERA with 14.9 K/9.

8. : 1,183 strikeouts
Fingers’ career changed in May of 1971, when then-A’s manager Dick Williams declared that Fingers would be the team’s closer for the rest of the regular season. That kickstarted a brilliant Hall of Fame career for the man with the ever-iconic handlebar mustache. Fingers was a legitimate trailblazer, becoming the first MLB pitcher to reach 300 saves and the second reliever to earn induction into the Hall of Fame in 1992. He also defied traditional standards, like in 1981, when he won both the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards in a strike-shortened season. Notably, Fingers also steered the A’s to three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974

9. : 1,175 strikeouts
The well-traveled Robertson suited up for eight different teams across a 17-year career, earning a reputation as one of the game’s most durable late-inning arms. He appeared in at least 60 games in 11 different seasons, including in 2011 with the Yankees, when he made his lone All-Star team and even earned down-ballot votes for the AL Cy Young Award.

10. Jesse Orosco: 1,169 strikeouts
No pitcher has appeared in more MLB games than Orosco, whose 1,252 appearances stand alone as a Major League record. The left-hander’s career spanned four decades, beginning in 1979 and ending in 2003. Given his inclusion on this list, it’s fitting that Orosco’s career is perhaps best remembered for a strikeout: He fanned Marty Barrett to close out Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, giving the Mets their second World Series title.

11. Lindy McDaniel: 1,165 strikeouts
McDaniel played for five teams across a 21-year Major League career that began with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955. He owns a career 3.45 ERA and racked up 1,361 strikeouts in 2,139 1/3 innings. At the time of his retirement at the end of the 1975 season, only Hoyt Wilhelm -- the leader on this list -- had pitched in more games than McDaniel.

12. : 1,142 strikeouts
Rodríguez burst onto the scene as a late-season callup in 2002, earning the nickname “K-Rod” while flashing dominant stuff during the Angels’ run to a World Series title. That moniker stuck for the rest of Rodríguez's career, a 16-year journey that saw him record 437 saves -- setting an MLB single-season record in 2008 (62) -- with a 10.5 K/9.

13. : 1,135 strikeouts
Forget best relief pitcher -- Rivera is simply one of the best pitchers in baseball history. The iconic Yankees closer reached Cooperstown in his first year on the ballot in 2019 thanks to a resume that includes 652 regular-season saves and another 42 in the postseason, where he truly separated himself from his peers. A five-time World Series champion, Rivera pitched to a 0.70 ERA in 96 career playoff games, recording 110 strikeouts.

14. : 1,133 strikeouts
Whereas Rivera relied on his signature cutter, Hoffman weaponized his trademark changeup on his way to 601 saves and a Hall of Fame career. Stirred by his iconic entry song -- AC/DC's "Hells Bells" -- Hoffman often dominated the opposition, posting a career 2.87 ERA in 1,035 games. When he was inducted into Cooperstown in 2018, he was just the sixth relief pitcher to join the Hall.