Bert Blyleven vs Jerry Reuss: Career Stats Comparison

Bert Blyleven (1970–1992) and Jerry Reuss (1969–1990) — 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; Jerry Reuss put up 220 wins and 1,907 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 →

Jerry Reuss

Pitcher · 1969–1990
Wins
220
Losses
191
Strikeouts
1,907
ERA
3.64
WHIP
1.32
IP
3,669
View Jerry Reuss'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 Jerry Reuss
Wins 287 220
Losses 250 191
Games 692 628
Games Started 685 547
Complete Games 242 127
Shutouts 60 39
Saves 0 11
Strikeouts 3,701 1,907
Walks 1,322 1,127
Hits Allowed 4,632 3,734
Home Runs Allowed 430 245
Innings Pitched 4,970 3,669
ERA 3.31 3.64
WHIP 1.20 1.32
K/9 6.70 4.68
BB/9 2.39 2.76

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bert Blyleven outpaces Jerry Reuss 74,910 to 29,536 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,121 vs 1,181 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)
Jerry Reuss
29,536
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,181 per season (25 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

Jerry Reuss — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19812.30 ERA10-4, 51 K in 152 IP
19802.51 ERA18-6, 111 K in 229 IP
19752.54 ERA18-11, 131 K in 237 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Bert Blyleven leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jerry Reuss owns no headline categories. 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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