Bert Blyleven vs Juan Marichal: Career Stats Comparison

Bert Blyleven (1970–1992) and Juan Marichal (1960–1975) — breaking in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Bert Blyleven compiled 287 wins and 3,701 strikeouts; Juan Marichal put up 243 wins and 2,303 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Bert Blyleven

Pitcher · 1970–1992
Wins
287
Losses
250
Strikeouts
3,701
ERA
3.31
WHIP
1.20
IP
4,970
View Bert Blyleven's full profile →

Juan Marichal

Pitcher · 1960–1975
Wins
243
Losses
142
Strikeouts
2,303
ERA
2.89
WHIP
1.10
IP
3,507
View Juan Marichal'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 Bert Blyleven Juan Marichal
Wins 287 243
Losses 250 142
Games 692 471
Games Started 685 457
Complete Games 242 244
Shutouts 60 52
Saves 0 2
Strikeouts 3,701 2,303
Walks 1,322 709
Hits Allowed 4,632 3,153
Home Runs Allowed 430 320
Innings Pitched 4,970 3,507
ERA 3.31 2.89
WHIP 1.20 1.10
K/9 6.70 5.91
BB/9 2.39 1.82

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bert Blyleven outpaces Juan Marichal 74,910 to 48,870 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,121 vs 3,054 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Bert Blyleven
74,910
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,121 per season (24 seasons)
Juan Marichal
48,870
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,054 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).

Bert Blyleven — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19732.52 ERA20-17, 258 K in 325 IP
19742.66 ERA17-17, 249 K in 281 IP
19772.72 ERA14-12, 182 K in 234 IP

Juan Marichal — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19692.10 ERA21-11, 205 K in 299 IP
19652.13 ERA22-13, 240 K in 295 IP
19662.23 ERA25-6, 222 K in 307 IP

Verdict

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

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