John Clarkson vs Al Spalding: Career Stats Comparison
John Clarkson (1882–1894) and Al Spalding (1871–1878) — breaking in during the 1880s and the 1870s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. John Clarkson compiled 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts; Al Spalding put up 251 wins and 248 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
John Clarkson
Al Spalding
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 | Al Spalding |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 328 | 251 |
| Losses | 178 | 65 |
| Games | 531 | 347 |
| Games Started | 518 | 325 |
| Complete Games | 485 | 279 |
| Shutouts | 37 | 24 |
| Saves | 5 | 13 |
| Strikeouts | 1,978 | 248 |
| Walks | 1,191 | 164 |
| Hits Allowed | 4,295 | 3,280 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 159 | 15 |
| Innings Pitched | 4,536 | 2,886 |
| ERA | 2.81 | 2.13 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | 1.19 |
| K/9 | 3.92 | 0.77 |
| BB/9 | 2.36 | 0.51 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), John Clarkson outpaces Al Spalding 36,438 to 8,952 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,803 vs 1,279 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)
Al Spalding — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John Clarkson leads in wins, strikeouts, K/9, and innings pitched, while Al Spalding owns ERA and WHIP. 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.