Gerrit Cole vs Tim Lincecum: Career Stats Comparison
Gerrit Cole has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Gerrit Cole has played 2013–present as a pitcher; Tim Lincecum played 2007–2016 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
Gerrit Cole (2013–present) and Tim Lincecum (2007–2016) — breaking in during the 2010s and the 2000s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Gerrit Cole has 163 wins and 2,382 strikeouts through October 12, 2026; Tim Lincecum finished with 110 wins and 1,736 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Gerrit Cole, with 3.20 to Tim Lincecum's 3.74.
- Who won more games? Gerrit Cole, with 163 to Tim Lincecum's 110.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Gerrit Cole, with 2,382 to Tim Lincecum's 1,736.
- Who had the better WHIP? Gerrit Cole, with 1.09 to Tim Lincecum's 1.29.
- Who pitched more innings? Gerrit Cole, with 2,081.0 to Tim Lincecum's 1,682.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Tim Lincecum, with 7 to Gerrit Cole's 5.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Gerrit Cole, with 50,909 career Pitcher PIV to Tim Lincecum's 28,769.
Gerrit Cole
Tim Lincecum
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 2010s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Gerrit Cole is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.
| Statistic | Gerrit Cole | Tim Lincecum |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 163 | 110 |
| Losses not scored | 89 | 89 |
| Games | Leads: 339 | 278 |
| Games Started | Leads: 339 | 270 |
| Complete Games | 8 | Leads: 10 |
| Shutouts | 5 | Leads: 7 |
| Saves | 0 | Leads: 1 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,382 | 1,736 |
| Walks not scored | 525 | 669 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,742 | 1,506 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 239 | 147 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 2,081.0 | 1,682.0 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.20 | 3.74 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.09 | 1.29 |
| K/9 | Leads: 10.30 | 9.29 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.27 | 3.58 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gerrit Cole outpaces Tim Lincecum 50,909 to 28,769 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,242 PIV per season to 2,877, across 12 seasons to 10. 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).
Gerrit Cole — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Tim Lincecum — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Gerrit Cole leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Tim Lincecum owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Gerrit Cole. PIV agrees: Gerrit Cole grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Gerrit Cole and Tim Lincecum careers compare
The careers of Gerrit Cole (2013–present) and Tim Lincecum (2007–2016) overlapped from 2013 to 2016, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 339 games against 278 across 12 and 10 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Tim Lincecum are complete games (10 to 8), shutouts (7 to 5), and saves (1 to 0). The per-nine rows read 10.30 strikeouts and 2.27 walks for Gerrit Cole, 9.29 and 3.58 for Tim Lincecum. Both had the same role: Gerrit Cole was mainly a starter (339 starts in 339 games); Tim Lincecum was mainly a starter (270 starts in 278 games). Because Gerrit Cole is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Gerrit Cole vs Tim Lincecum: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Gerrit Cole or Tim Lincecum?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Gerrit Cole leads Tim Lincecum in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Gerrit Cole, with 3.20 to Tim Lincecum's 3.74.
- Who won more games?
- Gerrit Cole, with 163 to Tim Lincecum's 110.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Gerrit Cole, with 2,382 to Tim Lincecum's 1,736.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Gerrit Cole, with 1.09 to Tim Lincecum's 1.29.