Kevin Brown vs Dwight Gooden: Career Stats Comparison

Kevin Brown (1986–2005) and Dwight Gooden (1984–2000) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Kevin Brown compiled 211 wins and 2,397 strikeouts; Dwight Gooden put up 194 wins and 2,293 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Kevin Brown

Pitcher · 1986–2005
Wins
211
Losses
144
Strikeouts
2,397
ERA
3.28
WHIP
1.22
IP
3,256
View Kevin Brown's full profile →

Dwight Gooden

Pitcher · 1984–2000
Wins
194
Losses
112
Strikeouts
2,293
ERA
3.51
WHIP
1.26
IP
2,800
View Dwight Gooden'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 Kevin Brown Dwight Gooden
Wins 211 194
Losses 144 112
Games 486 430
Games Started 476 410
Complete Games 72 68
Shutouts 17 24
Saves 0 3
Strikeouts 2,397 2,293
Walks 901 954
Hits Allowed 3,079 2,564
Home Runs Allowed 208 210
Innings Pitched 3,256 2,800
ERA 3.28 3.51
WHIP 1.22 1.26
K/9 6.62 7.37
BB/9 2.49 3.07

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Kevin Brown outpaces Dwight Gooden 82,163 to 55,535 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,324 vs 3,085 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Kevin Brown
82,163
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,324 per season (19 seasons)
Dwight Gooden
55,535
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,085 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Kevin Brown — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19961.89 ERA17-11, 159 K in 233 IP
19982.38 ERA18-7, 257 K in 257 IP
20032.39 ERA14-9, 185 K in 211 IP

Dwight Gooden — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19851.53 ERA24-4, 268 K in 276 IP
19842.60 ERA17-9, 276 K in 218 IP
19862.84 ERA17-6, 200 K in 250 IP

Verdict

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

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