Francisco Cordero vs Tom Gordon: Career Stats Comparison
Tom Gordon has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; Tom Gordon played 1988–2009 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 Tom Gordon (1988–2009) — breaking in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Francisco Cordero finished with 47 wins and 796 strikeouts; Tom Gordon finished with 138 wins and 1,928 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Francisco Cordero, with 3.38 to Tom Gordon's 3.96.
- Who won more games? Tom Gordon, with 138 to Francisco Cordero's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Tom Gordon, with 1,928 to Francisco Cordero's 796.
- Who had the better WHIP? Tom Gordon, with 1.36 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.
- Who pitched more innings? Tom Gordon, with 2,108.0 to Francisco Cordero's 824.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Tom Gordon, with 4 to Francisco Cordero's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Tom Gordon, with 29,014 career Pitcher PIV to Francisco Cordero's 15,835.
Francisco Cordero
Tom Gordon
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 1990s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Francisco Cordero | Tom Gordon |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 47 | Leads: 138 |
| Losses not scored | 53 | 126 |
| Games | 800 | Leads: 890 |
| Games Started | 0 | Leads: 203 |
| Complete Games | 0 | Leads: 18 |
| Shutouts | 0 | Leads: 4 |
| Saves | Leads: 329 | 158 |
| Strikeouts | 796 | Leads: 1,928 |
| Walks not scored | 375 | 977 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 751 | 1,889 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 64 | 176 |
| Innings Pitched | 824.2 | Leads: 2,108.0 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.38 | 3.96 |
| WHIP | 1.37 | Leads: 1.36 |
| K/9 | Leads: 8.69 | 8.23 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 4.09 | 4.17 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tom Gordon outpaces Francisco Cordero 29,014 to 15,835 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,319 PIV per season to 990, across 22 seasons to 16. 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.
Tom Gordon — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tom Gordon leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched, while Francisco Cordero owns ERA and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tom Gordon. PIV agrees: Tom Gordon 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 Tom Gordon careers compare
The careers of Francisco Cordero (1999–2012) and Tom Gordon (1988–2009) overlapped from 1999 to 2009, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 800 games for Francisco Cordero and 890 for Tom Gordon across 16 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Francisco Cordero comes out ahead, it is in saves (329 to 158), ERA (3.38 to 3.96), and strikeouts per nine (8.69 to 8.23). The per-nine rows read 8.69 strikeouts and 4.09 walks for Francisco Cordero, 8.23 and 4.17 for Tom Gordon.
Francisco Cordero vs Tom Gordon: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Francisco Cordero or Tom Gordon?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Tom Gordon leads Francisco Cordero in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Francisco Cordero, with 3.38 to Tom Gordon's 3.96.
- Who won more games?
- Tom Gordon, with 138 to Francisco Cordero's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Tom Gordon, with 1,928 to Francisco Cordero's 796.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Tom Gordon, with 1.36 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.