Stan Coveleski vs Eddie Plank: Career Stats Comparison

Stan Coveleski (1912–1928) and Eddie Plank (1901–1917) — breaking in during the 1910s and the 1900s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Stan Coveleski compiled 215 wins and 981 strikeouts; Eddie Plank put up 326 wins and 2,246 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Stan Coveleski

Pitcher · 1912–1928
Wins
215
Losses
142
Strikeouts
981
ERA
2.89
WHIP
1.25
IP
3,082
View Stan Coveleski's full profile →

Eddie Plank

Pitcher · 1901–1917
Wins
326
Losses
194
Strikeouts
2,246
ERA
2.35
WHIP
1.12
IP
4,495
View Eddie Plank'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 Stan Coveleski Eddie Plank
Wins 215 326
Losses 142 194
Games 450 623
Games Started 385 529
Complete Games 224 410
Shutouts 38 69
Saves 21 23
Strikeouts 981 2,246
Walks 802 1,072
Hits Allowed 3,055 3,958
Home Runs Allowed 66 42
Innings Pitched 3,082 4,495
ERA 2.89 2.35
WHIP 1.25 1.12
K/9 2.86 4.50
BB/9 2.34 2.15

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Plank outpaces Stan Coveleski 51,914 to 24,570 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,054 vs 1,755 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Stan Coveleski
24,570
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,755 per season (14 seasons)
Eddie Plank
51,914
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,054 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Stan Coveleski — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19171.81 ERA19-14, 133 K in 298 IP
19181.82 ERA22-13, 87 K in 311 IP
19202.49 ERA24-14, 133 K in 315 IP

Eddie Plank — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19091.76 ERA19-10, 132 K in 265 IP
19171.79 ERA5-6, 26 K in 131 IP
19102.01 ERA16-10, 123 K in 250 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Eddie Plank leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Stan Coveleski owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Plank. PIV agrees: Eddie Plank grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era