José Soriano's 0.24 ERA Is Rewriting Baseball History and Nobody's Catching Him

We're less than a month into the 2026 season and José Soriano has already done something that hasn't been done in over 110 years. The Angels right-hander turned in five more scoreless innings Wednesday against the Blue Jays to lower his ERA to an absolutely ridiculous 0.24 over six starts and 37 and two-thirds innings. That's the lowest ERA (minimum 30 innings pitched) through any pitcher's first six starts since earned runs became official in both leagues back in 1913.

Think about that for a second. Soriano is the first pitcher since at least 1900 to allow no more than one total run across his first six starts of a season. This is the same guy who posted a 4.26 ERA in 169 innings last year. He's not just pitching well. He's doing something historically good.

The Power Rankings Debate Is Real

The MLB.com expert panel just dropped their second Starting Pitcher Power Rankings of 2026, and they've got Soriano ranked third overall. But honestly, the case for him being number one is pretty easy to make. Behind Soriano in the rankings are Tarik Skubal of the Tigers (2.08 ERA through five starts) and Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies (1.59 ERA with a strikeout rate that jumped to 31.7%, eighth highest in baseball).

Skubal has been electric, including a perfect game through six innings against the Marlins and 10 strikeouts in six innings against the Red Sox. Sánchez is complementing his elite ground ball rate (59.2%, in the 93rd percentile) with a strikeout surge that's been a long time coming.

The Rest of the Elite Arms

Paul Skenes dropped from number one in the first rankings to number four after a brutal Opening Day against the Mets. But since then, he's allowed just three earned runs on nine hits over 21 and one-third innings for a 1.27 ERA. Cam Schlittler of the Yankees (1.95 ERA, 0.86 FIP) has stepped up while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón work their way back from arm injuries, leading baseball in FanGraphs pitching WAR.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to anchor the Dodgers rotation with a 2.48 ERA, while Shohei Ohtani is putting up dominant numbers on the mound when he gets the chance, with a 1.00 earned run allowed over 24 innings and a .141 opponents' batting average. Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays is racking up strikeouts early, including 12 in five innings on Tuesday against the Angels.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.