David Cone vs Greg Maddux: Career Stats Comparison

David Cone (1986–2003) and Greg Maddux (1986–2008) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. David Cone compiled 194 wins and 2,668 strikeouts; Greg Maddux put up 355 wins and 3,371 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

David Cone

Pitcher · 1986–2003
Wins
194
Losses
126
Strikeouts
2,668
ERA
3.46
WHIP
1.26
IP
2,898
View David Cone's full profile →

Greg Maddux

Pitcher · 1986–2008
Wins
355
Losses
227
Strikeouts
3,371
ERA
3.16
WHIP
1.14
IP
5,008
View Greg Maddux'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. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic David Cone Greg Maddux
Wins 194 355
Losses 126 227
Games 450 744
Games Started 419 740
Complete Games 56 109
Shutouts 22 35
Saves 1 0
Strikeouts 2,668 3,371
Walks 1,137 999
Hits Allowed 2,504 4,726
Home Runs Allowed 258 353
Innings Pitched 2,898 5,008
ERA 3.46 3.16
WHIP 1.26 1.14
K/9 8.28 6.06
BB/9 3.53 1.80

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Greg Maddux outpaces David Cone 133,509 to 47,099 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,340 vs 2,479 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

David Cone
47,099
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,479 per season (19 seasons)
Greg Maddux
133,509
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,340 per season (25 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

David Cone — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19882.22 ERA20-3, 213 K in 231 IP
19972.82 ERA12-6, 222 K in 195 IP
19922.88 ERA13-7, 214 K in 196 IP

Greg Maddux — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19941.56 ERA16-6, 156 K in 202 IP
19951.63 ERA19-2, 181 K in 209 IP
19922.18 ERA20-11, 199 K in 268 IP

Verdict

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

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