Pete Alexander vs Amos Rusie: Career Stats Comparison

Pete Alexander has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Pete Alexander played 1911–1930 as a pitcher; Amos Rusie played 1889–1901 as a pitcher.

ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

Pete Alexander (1911–1930) and Amos Rusie (1889–1901) — breaking in during the 1910s and the 1880s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Pete Alexander finished with 373 wins and 2,198 strikeouts; Amos Rusie finished with 246 wins and 1,950 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Quick answer

  • Who had the better ERA? Pete Alexander, with 2.56 to Amos Rusie's 3.07.
  • Who won more games? Pete Alexander, with 373 to Amos Rusie's 246.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Pete Alexander, with 2,198 to Amos Rusie's 1,950.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Pete Alexander, with 1.12 to Amos Rusie's 1.35.
  • Who pitched more innings? Pete Alexander, with 5,190.0 to Amos Rusie's 3,778.2.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Pete Alexander, with 90 to Amos Rusie's 30.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Pete Alexander, with 75,743 career Pitcher PIV to Amos Rusie's 43,707.
Leads Pete Alexander 11 of 12 scored categories
Pitcher PIV edge Pete Alexander +32,036
Read the verdict ↓

Pete Alexander

Pitcher · 1911–1930
Wins
373
Losses
208
Strikeouts
2,198
ERA
2.56
WHIP
1.12
IP
5,190.0
View Pete Alexander's full profile →

Amos Rusie

Pitcher · 1889–1901
Wins
246
Losses
174
Strikeouts
1,950
ERA
3.07
WHIP
1.35
IP
3,778.2
View Amos Rusie'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. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1910s and the 1880s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Pete Alexander vs Amos Rusie: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Pete Alexander Amos Rusie
Wins Leads: 373 246
Losses not scored 208 174
Games Leads: 696 463
Games Started Leads: 599 427
Complete Games Leads: 437 393
Shutouts Leads: 90 30
Saves Leads: 32 5
Strikeouts Leads: 2,198 1,950
Walks not scored 951 1,707
Hits Allowed not scored 4,868 3,389
Home Runs Allowed not scored 164 75
Innings Pitched Leads: 5,190.0 3,778.2
ERA Leads: 2.56 3.07
WHIP Leads: 1.12 1.35
K/9 3.81 Leads: 4.64
BB/9 Leads: 1.65 4.07

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Alexander outpaces Amos Rusie 75,743 to 43,707 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Pete Alexander played 21 seasons to Amos Rusie's 10, while Amos Rusie carries the higher per-season figure (4,371 to 3,607). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.

Pete Alexander
75,743
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,607 per season (21 seasons)
Amos Rusie
43,707
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,371 per season (10 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Pete Alexander — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19151.22 ERA31-10, 241 K in 376 IP
19161.55 ERA33-12, 167 K in 389 IP
19191.72 ERA16-11, 121 K in 235 IP

Amos Rusie — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

18972.54 ERA28-10, 135 K in 322 IP
18912.55 ERA33-20, 337 K in 500 IP
18902.56 ERA29-34, 341 K in 548 IP

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Pete Alexander and Amos Rusie careers compare

The two careers never overlapped: Amos Rusie's ended in 1901, and Pete Alexander debuted in 1911. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Pete Alexander appeared in 696 games to Amos Rusie's 463. The green cells for Amos Rusie are strikeouts per nine (4.64 to 3.81). The per-nine rows read 3.81 strikeouts and 1.65 walks for Pete Alexander, 4.64 and 4.07 for Amos Rusie. Pete Alexander was mainly a starter (599 starts in 696 games), and Amos Rusie was mainly a starter (427 starts in 463 games). In WHIP, Pete Alexander's 1.12 beats Amos Rusie's 1.35.

Pete Alexander vs Amos Rusie: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Pete Alexander or Amos Rusie?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Pete Alexander leads Amos Rusie in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Pete Alexander, with 2.56 to Amos Rusie's 3.07.
Who won more games?
Pete Alexander, with 373 to Amos Rusie's 246.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Pete Alexander, with 2,198 to Amos Rusie's 1,950.
Who had the better WHIP?
Pete Alexander, with 1.12 to Amos Rusie's 1.35.

See These Players in Another Era