John Clarkson vs Candy Cummings: Career Stats Comparison
John Clarkson has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). John Clarkson played 1882–1894 as a pitcher; Candy Cummings played 1872–1877 as a pitcher.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
John Clarkson (1882–1894) and Candy Cummings (1872–1877) — breaking in during the 1880s and the 1870s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. John Clarkson finished with 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts; Candy Cummings finished with 145 wins and 259 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Candy Cummings, with 2.42 to John Clarkson's 2.81.
- Who won more games? John Clarkson, with 328 to Candy Cummings's 145.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? John Clarkson, with 1,978 to Candy Cummings's 259.
- Who had the better WHIP? John Clarkson, with 1.21 to Candy Cummings's 1.23.
- Who pitched more innings? John Clarkson, with 4,536.1 to Candy Cummings's 2,149.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? John Clarkson, with 37 to Candy Cummings's 19.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? John Clarkson, with 36,438 career Pitcher PIV to Candy Cummings's 8,753.
John Clarkson
Candy Cummings
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. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1880s and the 1870s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | John Clarkson | Candy Cummings |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 328 | 145 |
| Losses not scored | 178 | 94 |
| Games | Leads: 531 | 242 |
| Games Started | Leads: 518 | 241 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 485 | 233 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 37 | 19 |
| Saves | Leads: 5 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 1,978 | 259 |
| Walks not scored | 1,191 | 113 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 4,295 | 2,526 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 159 | 12 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 4,536.1 | 2,149.2 |
| ERA | 2.81 | Leads: 2.42 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.21 | 1.23 |
| K/9 | Leads: 3.92 | 1.08 |
| BB/9 | 2.36 | Leads: 0.47 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), John Clarkson outpaces Candy Cummings 36,438 to 8,753 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,803 PIV per season to 1,459, across 13 seasons to 6. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
John Clarkson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Candy Cummings — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John Clarkson leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/9, while Candy Cummings owns ERA. 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.
Related Matchups
How the John Clarkson and Candy Cummings careers compare
Candy Cummings (1872–1877) was finished before John Clarkson (1882–1894) arrived, so they never shared a league. The table compares 531 games of John Clarkson with 242 of Candy Cummings across 13 and 6 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Candy Cummings are ERA (2.42 to 2.81) and walks per nine (0.47 to 2.36). The per-nine rows read 3.92 strikeouts and 2.36 walks for John Clarkson, 1.08 and 0.47 for Candy Cummings. John Clarkson was mainly a starter (518 starts in 531 games), and Candy Cummings was mainly a starter (241 starts in 242 games). John Clarkson allowed fewer baserunners, a 1.21 WHIP to Candy Cummings's 1.23.
John Clarkson vs Candy Cummings: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, John Clarkson or Candy Cummings?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, John Clarkson leads Candy Cummings in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Candy Cummings, with 2.42 to John Clarkson's 2.81.
- Who won more games?
- John Clarkson, with 328 to Candy Cummings's 145.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- John Clarkson, with 1,978 to Candy Cummings's 259.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- John Clarkson, with 1.21 to Candy Cummings's 1.23.