Kevin Brown vs Randy Johnson: Career Stats Comparison

Kevin Brown (1986–2005) and Randy Johnson (1988–2009) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Kevin Brown compiled 211 wins and 2,397 strikeouts; Randy Johnson put up 303 wins and 4,875 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 →

Randy Johnson

Pitcher · 1988–2009
Wins
303
Losses
166
Strikeouts
4,875
ERA
3.29
WHIP
1.17
IP
4,135
View Randy Johnson'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 Randy Johnson
Wins 211 303
Losses 144 166
Games 486 618
Games Started 476 603
Complete Games 72 100
Shutouts 17 37
Saves 0 2
Strikeouts 2,397 4,875
Walks 901 1,497
Hits Allowed 3,079 3,346
Home Runs Allowed 208 411
Innings Pitched 3,256 4,135
ERA 3.28 3.29
WHIP 1.22 1.17
K/9 6.62 10.61
BB/9 2.49 3.26

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Randy Johnson outpaces Kevin Brown 122,530 to 82,163 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,105 vs 4,324 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)
Randy Johnson
122,530
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,105 per season (24 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

Randy Johnson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19972.28 ERA20-4, 291 K in 213 IP
20022.32 ERA24-5, 334 K in 260 IP
19952.48 ERA18-2, 294 K in 214 IP

Verdict

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

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