Steve Carlton vs Dean Chance: Career Stats Comparison

Steve Carlton (1965–1988) and Dean Chance (1961–1971) — both came up during the 1960s, so the matchup is a direct one. Steve Carlton compiled 329 wins and 4,136 strikeouts; Dean Chance put up 128 wins and 1,534 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Steve Carlton

Pitcher · 1965–1988
Wins
329
Losses
244
Strikeouts
4,136
ERA
3.22
WHIP
1.25
IP
5,217
View Steve Carlton's full profile →

Dean Chance

Pitcher · 1961–1971
Wins
128
Losses
115
Strikeouts
1,534
ERA
2.92
WHIP
1.21
IP
2,147
View Dean Chance'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 Steve Carlton Dean Chance
Wins 329 128
Losses 244 115
Games 741 406
Games Started 709 294
Complete Games 254 83
Shutouts 55 33
Saves 2 23
Strikeouts 4,136 1,534
Walks 1,833 739
Hits Allowed 4,672 1,864
Home Runs Allowed 414 122
Innings Pitched 5,217 2,147
ERA 3.22 2.92
WHIP 1.25 1.21
K/9 7.13 6.43
BB/9 3.16 3.10

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Steve Carlton outpaces Dean Chance 76,502 to 30,038 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,833 vs 2,503 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Steve Carlton
76,502
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,833 per season (27 seasons)
Dean Chance
30,038
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,503 per season (12 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Steve Carlton — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19721.97 ERA27-10, 310 K in 346 IP
19692.17 ERA17-11, 210 K in 236 IP
19802.34 ERA24-9, 286 K in 304 IP

Dean Chance — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19641.65 ERA20-9, 207 K in 278 IP
19682.53 ERA16-16, 234 K in 292 IP
19672.73 ERA20-14, 220 K in 283 IP

Verdict

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

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