John Clarkson vs Rube Waddell: Career Stats Comparison
John Clarkson (1882–1894) and Rube Waddell (1897–1910) — breaking in during the 1880s and the 1890s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. John Clarkson compiled 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts; Rube Waddell put up 193 wins and 2,316 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
John Clarkson
Rube Waddell
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 | Rube Waddell |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 328 | 193 |
| Losses | 178 | 143 |
| Games | 531 | 407 |
| Games Started | 518 | 340 |
| Complete Games | 485 | 261 |
| Shutouts | 37 | 50 |
| Saves | 5 | 5 |
| Strikeouts | 1,978 | 2,316 |
| Walks | 1,191 | 803 |
| Hits Allowed | 4,295 | 2,460 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 159 | 37 |
| Innings Pitched | 4,536 | 2,961 |
| ERA | 2.81 | 2.16 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | 1.10 |
| K/9 | 3.92 | 7.04 |
| BB/9 | 2.36 | 2.44 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rube Waddell outpaces John Clarkson 69,450 to 36,438 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,961 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)
Rube Waddell — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rube Waddell leads in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, and K/9, while John Clarkson owns wins and innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rube Waddell. PIV agrees: Rube Waddell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.