Willie Cornelius vs Bob Feller: Career Stats Comparison
Bob Feller has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Willie Cornelius played ?–1946 as a pitcher; Bob Feller played 1936–1956 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
Willie Cornelius (?–1946) and Bob Feller (1936–1956) — they pitched in different contexts, so adjusted stats matter. Willie Cornelius finished with 54 wins and 537 strikeouts; Bob Feller finished with 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Bob Feller, with 3.25 to Willie Cornelius's 4.54.
- Who won more games? Bob Feller, with 266 to Willie Cornelius's 54.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Bob Feller, with 2,581 to Willie Cornelius's 537.
- Who had the better WHIP? Bob Feller, with 1.32 to Willie Cornelius's 1.43.
- Who pitched more innings? Bob Feller, with 3,827.0 to Willie Cornelius's 1,003.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Bob Feller, with 44 to Willie Cornelius's 5.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Bob Feller, with 48,739 career Pitcher PIV to Willie Cornelius's 11,748.
Willie Cornelius
Bob Feller
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 | Willie Cornelius | Bob Feller |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 54 | Leads: 266 |
| Losses not scored | 65 | 162 |
| Games | 177 | Leads: 570 |
| Games Started | 125 | Leads: 484 |
| Complete Games | 65 | Leads: 279 |
| Shutouts | 5 | Leads: 44 |
| Saves | 4 | Leads: 21 |
| Strikeouts | 537 | Leads: 2,581 |
| Walks not scored | 379 | 1,764 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,053 | 3,271 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 37 | 224 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,003.1 | Leads: 3,827.0 |
| ERA | 4.54 | Leads: 3.25 |
| WHIP | 1.43 | Leads: 1.32 |
| K/9 | 4.82 | Leads: 6.07 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 3.40 | 4.15 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bob Feller outpaces Willie Cornelius 48,739 to 11,748 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,708 PIV per season to 691, across 18 seasons to 17. 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).
Willie Cornelius
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Bob Feller — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bob Feller leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Willie Cornelius owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bob Feller. PIV agrees: Bob Feller grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Willie Cornelius and Bob Feller careers compare
From 1946 through 1946, Willie Cornelius and Bob Feller were in the majors together. Bob Feller has the far longer record, 570 games against 177 across 17 and 18 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Where Willie Cornelius comes out ahead, it is in walks per nine (3.40 to 4.15). By rate, Willie Cornelius struck out 4.82 and walked 3.40 per nine innings; Bob Feller struck out 6.07 and walked 4.15. Both had the same role: Willie Cornelius was mainly a starter (125 starts in 177 games); Bob Feller was mainly a starter (484 starts in 570 games). The complete-game row, 65 against 279, reflects how much longer starters once stayed in games.
Willie Cornelius vs Bob Feller: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Cornelius or Bob Feller?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bob Feller leads Willie Cornelius in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Bob Feller, with 3.25 to Willie Cornelius's 4.54.
- Who won more games?
- Bob Feller, with 266 to Willie Cornelius's 54.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Bob Feller, with 2,581 to Willie Cornelius's 537.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Bob Feller, with 1.32 to Willie Cornelius's 1.43.