Vida Blue vs Burt Hooton: Career Stats Comparison

Vida Blue (1969–1986) and Burt Hooton (1971–1985) — breaking in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Vida Blue compiled 209 wins and 2,175 strikeouts; Burt Hooton put up 151 wins and 1,491 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Vida Blue

Pitcher · 1969–1986
Wins
209
Losses
161
Strikeouts
2,175
ERA
3.27
WHIP
1.23
IP
3,343
View Vida Blue's full profile →

Burt Hooton

Pitcher · 1971–1985
Wins
151
Losses
136
Strikeouts
1,491
ERA
3.38
WHIP
1.24
IP
2,652
View Burt Hooton'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 Vida Blue Burt Hooton
Wins 209 151
Losses 161 136
Games 502 480
Games Started 473 377
Complete Games 143 86
Shutouts 37 29
Saves 2 7
Strikeouts 2,175 1,491
Walks 1,185 799
Hits Allowed 2,939 2,497
Home Runs Allowed 263 193
Innings Pitched 3,343 2,652
ERA 3.27 3.38
WHIP 1.23 1.24
K/9 5.85 5.06
BB/9 3.19 2.71

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vida Blue leads Burt Hooton 26,790 to 24,063 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,576 vs 1,504 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Vida Blue
26,790
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,576 per season (17 seasons)
Burt Hooton
24,063
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,504 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Vida Blue — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19711.82 ERA24-8, 301 K in 312 IP
19762.35 ERA18-13, 166 K in 298 IP
19812.45 ERA8-6, 63 K in 124 IP

Burt Hooton — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19812.28 ERA11-6, 74 K in 142 IP
19772.62 ERA12-7, 153 K in 223 IP
19782.71 ERA19-10, 104 K in 236 IP

Verdict

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

Related Matchups