Eddie Cicotte vs Walter Johnson: Career Stats Comparison

Eddie Cicotte (1905–1920) and Walter Johnson (1907–1927) — both came up during the 1900s, so the matchup is a direct one. Eddie Cicotte compiled 209 wins and 1,374 strikeouts; Walter Johnson put up 417 wins and 3,509 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Eddie Cicotte

Pitcher · 1905–1920
Wins
209
Losses
149
Strikeouts
1,374
ERA
2.38
WHIP
1.15
IP
3,226
View Eddie Cicotte's full profile →

Walter Johnson

Pitcher · 1907–1927
Wins
417
Losses
279
Strikeouts
3,509
ERA
2.17
WHIP
1.06
IP
5,914
View Walter 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 Eddie Cicotte Walter Johnson
Wins 209 417
Losses 149 279
Games 502 802
Games Started 361 666
Complete Games 249 531
Shutouts 35 110
Saves 24 34
Strikeouts 1,374 3,509
Walks 827 1,363
Hits Allowed 2,897 4,913
Home Runs Allowed 32 97
Innings Pitched 3,226 5,914
ERA 2.38 2.17
WHIP 1.15 1.06
K/9 3.83 5.34
BB/9 2.31 2.07

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Walter Johnson outpaces Eddie Cicotte 124,021 to 32,933 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,906 vs 2,196 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Eddie Cicotte
32,933
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,196 per season (15 seasons)
Walter Johnson
124,021
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,906 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Eddie Cicotte — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19171.53 ERA28-12, 150 K in 346 IP
19131.58 ERA18-12, 121 K in 268 IP
19161.78 ERA15-7, 91 K in 187 IP

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

19131.14 ERA36-7, 243 K in 346 IP
19181.27 ERA23-13, 162 K in 326 IP
19101.36 ERA25-17, 313 K in 370 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Walter Johnson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Eddie Cicotte owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Walter Johnson. PIV agrees: Walter Johnson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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