Kevin Appier vs Roger Clemens: Career Stats Comparison

Kevin Appier (1989–2004) and Roger Clemens (1984–2007) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Kevin Appier compiled 169 wins and 1,994 strikeouts; Roger Clemens put up 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Kevin Appier

Pitcher · 1989–2004
Wins
169
Losses
137
Strikeouts
1,994
ERA
3.74
WHIP
1.29
IP
2,595
View Kevin Appier's full profile →

Roger Clemens

Pitcher · 1984–2007
Wins
354
Losses
184
Strikeouts
4,672
ERA
3.12
WHIP
1.17
IP
4,916
View Roger Clemens'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 Kevin Appier Roger Clemens
Wins 169 354
Losses 137 184
Games 414 709
Games Started 402 707
Complete Games 34 118
Shutouts 12 46
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 1,994 4,672
Walks 933 1,580
Hits Allowed 2,425 4,185
Home Runs Allowed 232 363
Innings Pitched 2,595 4,916
ERA 3.74 3.12
WHIP 1.29 1.17
K/9 6.91 8.55
BB/9 3.24 2.89

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roger Clemens outpaces Kevin Appier 146,187 to 34,391 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (6,091 vs 1,911 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Kevin Appier
34,391
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,911 per season (18 seasons)
Roger Clemens
146,187
Career Pitcher PIV · 6,091 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Kevin Appier — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19922.46 ERA15-8, 150 K in 208 IP
19932.56 ERA18-8, 186 K in 238 IP
19902.76 ERA12-8, 127 K in 185 IP

Roger Clemens — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20051.87 ERA13-8, 185 K in 211 IP
19901.93 ERA21-6, 209 K in 228 IP
19972.05 ERA21-7, 292 K in 264 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Roger Clemens leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Kevin Appier owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Roger Clemens. PIV agrees: Roger Clemens grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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