Yu Darvish vs CC Sabathia: Career Stats Comparison
CC Sabathia 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). Yu Darvish played 2012–2025 as a pitcher; CC Sabathia played 2001–2019 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
Yu Darvish (2012–2025) and CC Sabathia (2001–2019) — breaking in during the 2010s and the 2000s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Yu Darvish finished with 115 wins and 2,075 strikeouts; CC Sabathia finished with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Yu Darvish, with 3.65 to CC Sabathia's 3.74.
- Who won more games? CC Sabathia, with 251 to Yu Darvish's 115.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? CC Sabathia, with 3,093 to Yu Darvish's 2,075.
- Who had the better WHIP? Yu Darvish, with 1.14 to CC Sabathia's 1.26.
- Who pitched more innings? CC Sabathia, with 3,577.1 to Yu Darvish's 1,778.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? CC Sabathia, with 12 to Yu Darvish's 1.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? CC Sabathia, with 43,212 career Pitcher PIV to Yu Darvish's 25,371.
Yu Darvish
CC Sabathia
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 2010s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Yu Darvish | CC Sabathia |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 115 | Leads: 251 |
| Losses not scored | 93 | 161 |
| Games | 297 | Leads: 561 |
| Games Started | 297 | Leads: 560 |
| Complete Games | 2 | Leads: 38 |
| Shutouts | 1 | Leads: 12 |
| Saves | 0 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | 2,075 | Leads: 3,093 |
| Walks not scored | 563 | 1,099 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,460 | 3,404 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 231 | 382 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,778.0 | Leads: 3,577.1 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.65 | 3.74 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.14 | 1.26 |
| K/9 | Leads: 10.50 | 7.78 |
| BB/9 | 2.85 | Leads: 2.76 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), CC Sabathia outpaces Yu Darvish 43,212 to 25,371 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,161 PIV per season to 1,812, across 20 seasons to 14. 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).
Yu Darvish — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
CC Sabathia — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, CC Sabathia leads in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched, while Yu Darvish owns ERA, WHIP, and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to CC Sabathia. PIV agrees: CC Sabathia grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Yu Darvish and CC Sabathia careers compare
The careers of Yu Darvish (2012–2025) and CC Sabathia (2001–2019) overlapped from 2012 to 2019, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 297 games of Yu Darvish with 561 of CC Sabathia across 14 and 20 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Yu Darvish are ERA (3.65 to 3.74), WHIP (1.14 to 1.26), and strikeouts per nine (10.50 to 7.78). The per-nine rows read 10.50 strikeouts and 2.85 walks for Yu Darvish, 7.78 and 2.76 for CC Sabathia.
Yu Darvish vs CC Sabathia: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Yu Darvish or CC Sabathia?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, CC Sabathia leads Yu Darvish in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Yu Darvish, with 3.65 to CC Sabathia's 3.74.
- Who won more games?
- CC Sabathia, with 251 to Yu Darvish's 115.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- CC Sabathia, with 3,093 to Yu Darvish's 2,075.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Yu Darvish, with 1.14 to CC Sabathia's 1.26.