Jim Bunning vs Bob Feller: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Bunning (1955–1971) and Bob Feller (1936–1956) — breaking in during the 1950s and the 1930s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Jim Bunning compiled 224 wins and 2,855 strikeouts; Bob Feller put up 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jim Bunning

Pitcher · 1955–1971
Wins
224
Losses
184
Strikeouts
2,855
ERA
3.27
WHIP
1.18
IP
3,760
View Jim Bunning's full profile →

Bob Feller

Pitcher · 1936–1956
Wins
266
Losses
162
Strikeouts
2,581
ERA
3.25
WHIP
1.32
IP
3,827
View Bob Feller'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 Jim Bunning Bob Feller
Wins 224 266
Losses 184 162
Games 591 570
Games Started 519 484
Complete Games 151 279
Shutouts 40 44
Saves 16 21
Strikeouts 2,855 2,581
Walks 1,000 1,764
Hits Allowed 3,433 3,271
Home Runs Allowed 372 224
Innings Pitched 3,760 3,827
ERA 3.27 3.25
WHIP 1.18 1.32
K/9 6.83 6.07
BB/9 2.39 4.15

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bob Feller edges Jim Bunning 48,739 to 44,929 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,708 vs 2,496 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jim Bunning
44,929
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,496 per season (18 seasons)
Bob Feller
48,739
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,708 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).

Jim Bunning — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19672.29 ERA17-15, 253 K in 302 IP
19662.41 ERA19-14, 252 K in 314 IP
19652.60 ERA19-9, 268 K in 291 IP

Bob Feller — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19462.18 ERA26-15, 348 K in 371 IP
19402.61 ERA27-11, 261 K in 320 IP
19472.68 ERA20-11, 196 K in 299 IP

Verdict

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

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