John Clarkson vs Tim Keefe: Career Stats Comparison
John Clarkson (1882–1894) and Tim Keefe (1880–1893) — both came up during the 1880s, so the matchup is a direct one. John Clarkson compiled 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts; Tim Keefe put up 342 wins and 2,564 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
John Clarkson
Tim Keefe
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 Clarkson | Tim Keefe |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 328 | 342 |
| Losses | 178 | 225 |
| Games | 531 | 600 |
| Games Started | 518 | 594 |
| Complete Games | 485 | 554 |
| Shutouts | 37 | 39 |
| Saves | 5 | 2 |
| Strikeouts | 1,978 | 2,564 |
| Walks | 1,191 | 1,233 |
| Hits Allowed | 4,295 | 4,438 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 159 | 75 |
| Innings Pitched | 4,536 | 5,049 |
| ERA | 2.81 | 2.63 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | 1.12 |
| K/9 | 3.92 | 4.57 |
| BB/9 | 2.36 | 2.20 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tim Keefe outpaces John Clarkson 58,200 to 36,438 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,880 vs 2,803 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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)
Tim Keefe — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tim Keefe leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while John Clarkson owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tim Keefe. PIV agrees: Tim Keefe grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.