Babe Adams vs Eddie Plank: Career Stats Comparison

Babe Adams (1906–1926) and Eddie Plank (1901–1917) — both came up during the 1900s, so the matchup is a direct one. Babe Adams compiled 194 wins and 1,036 strikeouts; Eddie Plank put up 326 wins and 2,246 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Babe Adams

Pitcher · 1906–1926
Wins
194
Losses
140
Strikeouts
1,036
ERA
2.76
WHIP
1.09
IP
2,995
View Babe Adams's full profile →

Eddie Plank

Pitcher · 1901–1917
Wins
326
Losses
194
Strikeouts
2,246
ERA
2.35
WHIP
1.12
IP
4,495
View Eddie Plank's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Babe Adams Eddie Plank
Wins 194 326
Losses 140 194
Games 482 623
Games Started 355 529
Complete Games 206 410
Shutouts 44 69
Saves 15 23
Strikeouts 1,036 2,246
Walks 430 1,072
Hits Allowed 2,841 3,958
Home Runs Allowed 68 42
Innings Pitched 2,995 4,495
ERA 2.76 2.35
WHIP 1.09 1.12
K/9 3.11 4.50
BB/9 1.29 2.15

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Plank leads Babe Adams 51,914 to 41,399 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,054 vs 2,179 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Babe Adams
41,399
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,179 per season (19 seasons)
Eddie Plank
51,914
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,054 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Babe Adams — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19091.11 ERA12-3, 65 K in 130 IP
19191.98 ERA17-10, 92 K in 263 IP
19132.15 ERA21-10, 144 K in 313 IP

Eddie Plank — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19091.76 ERA19-10, 132 K in 265 IP
19171.79 ERA5-6, 26 K in 131 IP
19102.01 ERA16-10, 123 K in 250 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Eddie Plank leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and K/9, while Babe Adams owns WHIP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Plank. PIV agrees: Eddie Plank grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era