Roger Clemens vs Curt Schilling: Career Stats Comparison

Roger Clemens has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 statistical categories compared on this page. Roger Clemens played 1984–2007 as a pitcher; Curt Schilling played 1988–2007 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

Roger Clemens (1984–2007) and Curt Schilling (1988–2007) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Roger Clemens compiled 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts; Curt Schilling put up 216 wins and 3,116 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Quick answer

  • Who had the better ERA? Roger Clemens, with 3.12 to Curt Schilling's 3.46.
  • Who won more games? Roger Clemens, with 354 to Curt Schilling's 216.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Roger Clemens, with 4,672 to Curt Schilling's 3,116.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Curt Schilling, with 1.14 to Roger Clemens's 1.17.
  • Who pitched more innings? Roger Clemens, with 4,916 to Curt Schilling's 3,261.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Roger Clemens, with 46 to Curt Schilling's 20.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Roger Clemens, with 146,187 career Pitcher PIV to Curt Schilling's 98,246.
Leads Roger Clemens 8 of 12 awarded categories
Pitcher PIV edge Roger Clemens +47,941
Read the verdict ↓

Roger Clemens

Pitcher · 1984–2007
Wins
354
Losses
184
Strikeouts
4,672
ERA
3.12
WHIP
1.17
IP
4,916
View Roger Clemens's full profile →

Curt Schilling

Pitcher · 1988–2007
Wins
216
Losses
146
Strikeouts
3,116
ERA
3.46
WHIP
1.14
IP
3,261
View Curt Schilling'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. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 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: compare them with the era in mind, or use the PIV card below, which is.

Roger Clemens vs Curt Schilling: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Roger Clemens Curt Schilling
Wins Leads: 354 216
Losses 184 146
Games Leads: 709 569
Games Started Leads: 707 436
Complete Games Leads: 118 83
Shutouts Leads: 46 20
Saves 0 Leads: 22
Strikeouts Leads: 4,672 3,116
Walks 1,580 711
Hits Allowed 4,185 2,998
Home Runs Allowed 363 347
Innings Pitched Leads: 4,916 3,261
ERA Leads: 3.12 3.46
WHIP 1.17 Leads: 1.14
K/9 8.55 Leads: 8.60
BB/9 2.89 Leads: 1.96

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roger Clemens outpaces Curt Schilling 146,187 to 98,246 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (6,091 vs 4,678 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Roger Clemens
146,187
Career Pitcher PIV · 6,091 per season (24 seasons)
Curt Schilling
98,246
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,678 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).

Roger Clemens — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20051.87 ERA13-8, 185 K in 211 IP
19901.93 ERA21-6, 209 K in 228 IP
19972.05 ERA21-7, 292 K in 264 IP

Curt Schilling — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19922.35 ERA14-11, 147 K in 226 IP
20032.95 ERA8-9, 194 K in 168 IP
19972.97 ERA17-11, 319 K in 254 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Roger Clemens leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Curt Schilling owns WHIP and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Roger Clemens. PIV agrees: Roger Clemens grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Roger Clemens vs Curt Schilling: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Roger Clemens or Curt Schilling?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Roger Clemens leads Curt Schilling in 8 of 12 categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Roger Clemens, with 3.12 to Curt Schilling's 3.46.
Who won more games?
Roger Clemens, with 354 to Curt Schilling's 216.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Roger Clemens, with 4,672 to Curt Schilling's 3,116.
Who had the better WHIP?
Curt Schilling, with 1.14 to Roger Clemens's 1.17.

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