John Burkett vs Bob Tewksbury: Career Stats Comparison

John Burkett (1987–2003) and Bob Tewksbury (1986–1998) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. John Burkett compiled 166 wins and 1,766 strikeouts; Bob Tewksbury put up 110 wins and 812 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

John Burkett

Pitcher · 1987–2003
Wins
166
Losses
136
Strikeouts
1,766
ERA
4.31
WHIP
1.35
IP
2,648
View John Burkett's full profile →

Bob Tewksbury

Pitcher · 1986–1998
Wins
110
Losses
102
Strikeouts
812
ERA
3.92
WHIP
1.29
IP
1,807
View Bob Tewksbury'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 John Burkett Bob Tewksbury
Wins 166 110
Losses 136 102
Games 445 302
Games Started 423 277
Complete Games 21 31
Shutouts 6 7
Saves 1 1
Strikeouts 1,766 812
Walks 700 292
Hits Allowed 2,866 2,043
Home Runs Allowed 257 142
Innings Pitched 2,648 1,807
ERA 4.31 3.92
WHIP 1.35 1.29
K/9 6.00 4.04
BB/9 2.38 1.45

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), John Burkett leads Bob Tewksbury 32,698 to 25,586 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,044 vs 1,828 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

John Burkett
32,698
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,044 per season (16 seasons)
Bob Tewksbury
25,586
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,828 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

John Burkett — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20013.04 ERA12-12, 187 K in 219 IP
19943.62 ERA6-8, 85 K in 159 IP
19933.65 ERA22-7, 145 K in 231 IP

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

19922.16 ERA16-5, 91 K in 233 IP
19913.25 ERA11-12, 75 K in 191 IP
19863.31 ERA9-5, 49 K in 130 IP

Verdict

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

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