Francisco Cordero vs Keith Foulke: Career Stats Comparison
Francisco Cordero has the better career line of the two, leading 6 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Francisco Cordero played 1999–2012 as a pitcher; Keith Foulke played 1997–2008 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
Francisco Cordero (1999–2012) and Keith Foulke (1997–2008) — both came up during the 1990s, so the matchup is a direct one. Francisco Cordero finished with 47 wins and 796 strikeouts; Keith Foulke finished with 41 wins and 718 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Keith Foulke, with 3.33 to Francisco Cordero's 3.38.
- Who won more games? Francisco Cordero, with 47 to Keith Foulke's 41.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Francisco Cordero, with 796 to Keith Foulke's 718.
- Who had the better WHIP? Keith Foulke, with 1.08 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.
- Who pitched more innings? Francisco Cordero, with 824.2 to Keith Foulke's 786.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Neither — both are at 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Francisco Cordero, with 15,835 career Pitcher PIV to Keith Foulke's 15,363.
Francisco Cordero
Keith Foulke
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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Francisco Cordero | Keith Foulke |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 47 | 41 |
| Losses not scored | 53 | 37 |
| Games | Leads: 800 | 619 |
| Games Started | 0 | Leads: 8 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 0 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | Leads: 329 | 191 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 796 | 718 |
| Walks not scored | 375 | 194 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 751 | 652 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 64 | 94 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 824.2 | 786.2 |
| ERA | 3.38 | Leads: 3.33 |
| WHIP | 1.37 | Leads: 1.08 |
| K/9 | Leads: 8.69 | 8.21 |
| BB/9 | 4.09 | Leads: 2.22 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Francisco Cordero edges Keith Foulke 15,835 to 15,363 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Francisco Cordero played 16 seasons to Keith Foulke's 12, while Keith Foulke carries the higher per-season figure (1,280 to 990). 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).
Francisco Cordero
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Keith Foulke
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Francisco Cordero leads in wins, strikeouts, K/9, and innings pitched, while Keith Foulke owns ERA and WHIP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Francisco Cordero. PIV agrees: Francisco Cordero grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Francisco Cordero and Keith Foulke careers compare
The careers of Francisco Cordero (1999–2012) and Keith Foulke (1997–2008) overlapped from 1999 to 2008, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 800 games against 619 across 16 and 12 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Keith Foulke's edges on the table are starts (8 to 0), ERA (3.33 to 3.38), and WHIP (1.08 to 1.37). The per-nine rows read 8.69 strikeouts and 4.09 walks for Francisco Cordero, 8.21 and 2.22 for Keith Foulke. Francisco Cordero worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 800 games, 329 saves), and Keith Foulke worked mostly in relief (8 starts in 619 games, 191 saves).
Francisco Cordero vs Keith Foulke: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Francisco Cordero or Keith Foulke?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Francisco Cordero leads Keith Foulke in 6 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Keith Foulke, with 3.33 to Francisco Cordero's 3.38.
- Who won more games?
- Francisco Cordero, with 47 to Keith Foulke's 41.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Francisco Cordero, with 796 to Keith Foulke's 718.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Keith Foulke, with 1.08 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.