Josh Beckett vs Curt Schilling: Career Stats Comparison

Curt Schilling has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Josh Beckett played 2001–2014 as a pitcher; Curt Schilling played 1988–2007 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

Josh Beckett (2001–2014) and Curt Schilling (1988–2007) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Josh Beckett finished with 138 wins and 1,901 strikeouts; Curt Schilling finished with 216 wins and 3,116 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Quick answer

  • Who had the better ERA? Curt Schilling, with 3.46 to Josh Beckett's 3.88.
  • Who won more games? Curt Schilling, with 216 to Josh Beckett's 138.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Curt Schilling, with 3,116 to Josh Beckett's 1,901.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Curt Schilling, with 1.14 to Josh Beckett's 1.23.
  • Who pitched more innings? Curt Schilling, with 3,261.0 to Josh Beckett's 2,051.0.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Curt Schilling, with 20 to Josh Beckett's 6.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Curt Schilling, with 98,246 career Pitcher PIV to Josh Beckett's 25,548.
Leads Curt Schilling 12 of 12 scored categories
Pitcher PIV edge Curt Schilling +72,698
Read the verdict ↓

Josh Beckett

Pitcher · 2001–2014
Wins
138
Losses
106
Strikeouts
1,901
ERA
3.88
WHIP
1.23
IP
2,051.0
View Josh Beckett's full profile →

Curt Schilling

Pitcher · 1988–2007
Wins
216
Losses
146
Strikeouts
3,116
ERA
3.46
WHIP
1.14
IP
3,261.0
View Curt Schilling'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 2000s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Josh Beckett vs Curt Schilling: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Josh Beckett Curt Schilling
Wins 138 Leads: 216
Losses not scored 106 146
Games 335 Leads: 569
Games Started 332 Leads: 436
Complete Games 12 Leads: 83
Shutouts 6 Leads: 20
Saves 0 Leads: 22
Strikeouts 1,901 Leads: 3,116
Walks not scored 629 711
Hits Allowed not scored 1,897 2,998
Home Runs Allowed not scored 238 347
Innings Pitched 2,051.0 Leads: 3,261.0
ERA 3.88 Leads: 3.46
WHIP 1.23 Leads: 1.14
K/9 8.34 Leads: 8.60
BB/9 2.76 Leads: 1.96

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Curt Schilling outpaces Josh Beckett 98,246 to 25,548 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,678 PIV per season to 1,703, across 21 seasons to 15. 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.

Josh Beckett
25,548
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,703 per season (15 seasons)
Curt Schilling
98,246
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,678 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Josh Beckett — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20112.89 ERA13-7, 175 K in 193 IP
20033.04 ERA9-8, 152 K in 142 IP
20073.27 ERA20-7, 194 K in 200 IP

Curt Schilling — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19922.35 ERA14-11, 147 K in 226 IP
20032.95 ERA8-9, 194 K in 168 IP
19972.97 ERA17-11, 319 K in 254 IP

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling careers compare

The careers of Josh Beckett (2001–2014) and Curt Schilling (1988–2007) overlapped from 2001 to 2007, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Curt Schilling has the far longer record, 569 games against 335 across 15 and 21 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Curt Schilling leads every scored row of the table. By rate, Josh Beckett struck out 8.34 and walked 2.76 per nine innings; Curt Schilling struck out 8.60 and walked 1.96. Both had the same role: Josh Beckett was mainly a starter (332 starts in 335 games); Curt Schilling was mainly a starter (436 starts in 569 games).

Josh Beckett vs Curt Schilling: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Josh Beckett or Curt Schilling?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Curt Schilling leads Josh Beckett in 12 of the 12 scored categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Curt Schilling, with 3.46 to Josh Beckett's 3.88.
Who won more games?
Curt Schilling, with 216 to Josh Beckett's 138.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Curt Schilling, with 3,116 to Josh Beckett's 1,901.
Who had the better WHIP?
Curt Schilling, with 1.14 to Josh Beckett's 1.23.

See These Players in Another Era