Charles Bender vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison

Charles Bender (1903–1925) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — breaking in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Charles Bender compiled 212 wins and 1,711 strikeouts; Cy Young put up 511 wins and 2,803 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Charles Bender

Pitcher · 1903–1925
Wins
212
Losses
127
Strikeouts
1,711
ERA
2.46
WHIP
1.11
IP
3,017
View Charles Bender's full profile →

Cy Young

Pitcher · 1890–1911
Wins
511
Losses
315
Strikeouts
2,803
ERA
2.63
WHIP
1.13
IP
7,356
View Cy Young'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 Charles Bender Cy Young
Wins 212 511
Losses 127 315
Games 459 906
Games Started 334 815
Complete Games 255 749
Shutouts 40 76
Saves 34 18
Strikeouts 1,711 2,803
Walks 712 1,217
Hits Allowed 2,645 7,092
Home Runs Allowed 40 138
Innings Pitched 3,017 7,356
ERA 2.46 2.63
WHIP 1.11 1.13
K/9 5.10 3.43
BB/9 2.12 1.49

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Charles Bender 141,398 to 43,118 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (6,148 vs 2,695 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Charles Bender
43,118
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,695 per season (16 seasons)
Cy Young
141,398
Career Pitcher PIV · 6,148 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Charles Bender — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19101.58 ERA23-5, 155 K in 250 IP
19091.66 ERA18-8, 161 K in 250 IP
19081.75 ERA8-9, 85 K in 138 IP

Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19081.26 ERA21-11, 150 K in 299 IP
19011.62 ERA33-10, 158 K in 371 IP
19051.82 ERA18-19, 210 K in 320 IP

Verdict

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

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