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# Jacob Misiorowski's 37.9% strikeout rate was the best by a starter since Gerrit Cole in 2019
- URL: https://baseballthings.com/jacob-misiorowski-dylan-cease-30-percent-strikeout-rate-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-23T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T13:00:00.000Z
- Description: Seven qualified starters struck out 30% of the batters they faced in 2026, the most in a full season since 2019, led by Jacob Misiorowski's historic 37.9%.
- Author: Baseball Things
- Tags: News, MLB, 2026 in Review

Seven qualified starting pitchers struck out at least 30% of the batters they faced in 2026, up from two in 2025 and the most in a full season since 10 did it in 2019\. Over the last decade the count went two in 2016, four in 2017, seven in 2018, 10 in 2019, 12 in the 60-game 2020 season, five in 2021, six in 2022, four in 2023, three in 2024 and two in 2025.

Strikeout rate (K%) is strikeouts divided by batters faced, and a starter qualifies with at least one inning per team game, counting only his innings as a starter. Jacob Misiorowski led at 37.9%, Dylan Cease was second at 34.9% and Gavin Williams third at 33.2%. None of the seven is a free agent this winter.

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## [Jacob Misiorowski](https://baseballthings.com/players/jacob-misiorowski/), SP — [Milwaukee Brewers](https://baseballthings.com/milwaukee-brewers-players/): 37.9% strikeout rate

No starter was better in 2026, and on plenty of nights hitters would have settled for a foul ball. Misiorowski went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 174⅔ innings over 30 starts, and he led all qualified starters in ERA, K%, K-BB% (31.3%), FIP (2.17), fWAR (6.6), batting average against (.157) and Win Probability Added (4.30). FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, estimates a pitcher's ERA from only the things he controls: strikeouts, walks, hit batters and home runs. Win Probability Added credits a pitcher for how much each batter he faced moved his team's chances of winning.

His 37.9% strikeout rate is the second-highest by a qualified starter in a full season, behind [Gerrit Cole](https://baseballthings.com/players/gerrit-cole/)'s 39.9% in 2019; only [Shane Bieber](https://baseballthings.com/players/shane-bieber/) and Jacob deGrom were higher, in the shortened 2020 season. At 24, he set the record for a qualified starter that young, passing [Spencer Strider](https://baseballthings.com/players/spencer-strider/)'s 36.8% in 2023\. His K-BB% is the third-best of any full season, after Cole's 34.0% in 2019 and [Pedro Martínez](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/pedro-martinez/200/stats/pitching?ref=baseballthings.com)'s 33.1% in 1999\. The Brewers had the best record in baseball at 103-59, beat San Diego in four games in the Division Series, swept the Dodgers in the NLCS and are playing Tampa Bay in the World Series.

## [Dylan Cease](https://baseballthings.com/players/dylan-cease/), SP — [Toronto Blue Jays](https://baseballthings.com/toronto-blue-jays-players/): 34.9% strikeout rate

In his first season in Toronto, Cease set a career high in strikeout rate, topping the 31.9% he posted with the White Sox in 2021\. He went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA, fourth among qualified starters, and struck out 239 in 169 innings. He ranked second in batting average against (.179), third in FIP (2.56), fifth in K-BB% (23.5%) and sixth in fWAR (5.5). The Blue Jays finished 79-83 and missed the playoffs.

## [Gavin Williams](https://baseballthings.com/players/gavin-williams/), SP — [Cleveland Guardians](https://baseballthings.com/cleveland-guardians-players/): 33.2% strikeout rate

Williams made the biggest jump in the group, from 24.6% in 2025 to 33.2%. He finished third in both K% and K-BB% (25.1%), went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and 248 strikeouts in 184⅓ innings, and his 10 starts of seven or more innings tied for fifth in the majors. Cleveland won the AL Central at 85-77, beat the White Sox in five games in the Division Series and lost to Tampa Bay in six in the ALCS.

## [Cam Schlittler](https://baseballthings.com/players/cam-schlittler/), SP — [New York Yankees](https://baseballthings.com/new-york-yankees-players/): 31.4% strikeout rate

In his first qualified season, the 25-year-old went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA, second only to Misiorowski, and struck out 239 in 193⅔ innings, the most innings of anyone in this group. He ranked third in fWAR (6.2), fourth in K%, K-BB% (25.0%), FIP (2.56) and batting average against (.183), and fifth in Win Probability Added (3.65). Only Misiorowski matched his six top-five finishes across these categories. The Yankees went 93-68, beat Boston in the Wild Card Series and were swept by Tampa Bay in the Division Series.

## [Chris Sale](https://baseballthings.com/players/chris-sale/), SP — [Atlanta Braves](https://baseballthings.com/atlanta-braves-players/): 30.9% strikeout rate

At 37, Sale reached 30% for the fifth time, after 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2024\. He ranked second among qualified starters in K-BB% (26.1%) and FIP (2.29), third in ERA (2.16) and fourth in fWAR (5.8), and went 14-9 with 200 strikeouts in 162⅔ innings. Before this season, the only qualified starters to strike out 30% of batters at 37 or older were [Nolan Ryan](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/nolan-ryan/1011348/stats/pitching?ref=baseballthings.com) and [Randy Johnson](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/randy-johnson/60/stats/pitching?ref=baseballthings.com). Atlanta won the NL East at 94-68, beat Philadelphia in the Wild Card Series and lost to the Dodgers in four games in the Division Series.

## [Jesús Luzardo](https://baseballthings.com/players/jesus-luzardo/), SP — [Philadelphia Phillies](https://baseballthings.com/philadelphia-phillies-players/): 30.4% strikeout rate

Luzardo topped 30% for the first time as a qualified starter, and he was the only qualified starter to finish in the top 10 of all seven categories here: fourth in Win Probability Added (3.66), fifth in FIP (2.78) and fWAR (5.5), sixth in K% and K-BB% (23.2%), tied for ninth with eight starts of seven or more innings, and 10th in batting average against (.212). He went 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 178⅔ innings. The Phillies went 88-74 and lost to Atlanta in three games in the Wild Card Series.

## [Jacob deGrom](https://baseballthings.com/players/jacob-degrom/), SP — [Texas Rangers](https://baseballthings.com/texas-rangers-players/): 30.1% strikeout rate

At 38, deGrom is the oldest pitcher in the group, and his fastball apparently never got the memo. He joined Ryan and Johnson as the only qualified starters to reach 30% at 38 or older. It is his fourth 30% season, after 2018, 2019 and 2020\. He ranked seventh in K-BB% (23.2%) and 10th in FIP (3.11), though his ERA was 4.20 in 162⅔ innings, with 201 strikeouts and an 11-11 record. The Rangers finished 80-82 and missed the playoffs.

[Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Schwarber lead MLB's 8-man 40-homer club in 2026Eight players hit 40 or more home runs in 2026, the most since 2019, led by Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Schwarber with 45 apiece.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f2/85/f285ce72-40e3-409f-ae3b-2ef371936c02/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/08/BT27Logo1024width--1-.png)Baseball ThingsBaseball Things![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f2/85/f285ce72-40e3-409f-ae3b-2ef371936c02/content/images/2026/10/tx--homer-club-1792577872252.jpg)](https://baseballthings.com/pete-crow-armstrong-kyle-schwarber-40-home-run-club-2026/)