Rafael Betancourt vs Kerry Wood: Career Stats Comparison

Rafael Betancourt (2003–2015) and Kerry Wood (1998–2012) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 1990s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Rafael Betancourt compiled 38 wins and 724 strikeouts; Kerry Wood put up 86 wins and 1,582 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Rafael Betancourt

Pitcher · 2003–2015
Wins
38
Losses
37
Strikeouts
724
ERA
3.36
WHIP
1.11
IP
685
View Rafael Betancourt's full profile →

Kerry Wood

Pitcher · 1998–2012
Wins
86
Losses
75
Strikeouts
1,582
ERA
3.67
WHIP
1.27
IP
1,380
View Kerry Wood'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 Rafael Betancourt Kerry Wood
Wins 38 86
Losses 37 75
Games 680 446
Games Started 0 178
Complete Games 0 11
Shutouts 0 5
Saves 75 63
Strikeouts 724 1,582
Walks 164 666
Hits Allowed 596 1,083
Home Runs Allowed 71 148
Innings Pitched 685 1,380
ERA 3.36 3.67
WHIP 1.11 1.27
K/9 9.50 10.32
BB/9 2.15 4.34

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Kerry Wood edges Rafael Betancourt 20,852 to 20,765 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,390 vs 1,597 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Rafael Betancourt
20,765
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,597 per season (13 seasons)
Kerry Wood
20,852
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,390 per season (15 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Rafael Betancourt — top 0 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

Kerry Wood — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20033.20 ERA14-11, 266 K in 211 IP
20013.36 ERA12-6, 217 K in 174 IP
19983.40 ERA13-6, 233 K in 166 IP

Verdict

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

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