Charlie Buffinton vs John Clarkson: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Buffinton (1882–1892) and John Clarkson (1882–1894) — both came up during the 1880s, so the matchup is a direct one. Charlie Buffinton compiled 233 wins and 1,700 strikeouts; John Clarkson put up 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Charlie Buffinton
John Clarkson
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 | Charlie Buffinton | John Clarkson |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 233 | 328 |
| Losses | 152 | 178 |
| Games | 414 | 531 |
| Games Started | 396 | 518 |
| Complete Games | 351 | 485 |
| Shutouts | 30 | 37 |
| Saves | 3 | 5 |
| Strikeouts | 1,700 | 1,978 |
| Walks | 856 | 1,191 |
| Hits Allowed | 3,344 | 4,295 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 87 | 159 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,404 | 4,536 |
| ERA | 2.96 | 2.81 |
| WHIP | 1.23 | 1.21 |
| K/9 | 4.49 | 3.92 |
| BB/9 | 2.26 | 2.36 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), John Clarkson leads Charlie Buffinton 36,438 to 31,297 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,803 vs 2,845 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Charlie Buffinton — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
John Clarkson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John Clarkson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Charlie Buffinton owns K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to John Clarkson. PIV agrees: John Clarkson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.