Pete Donohue vs Lefty Grove: Career Stats Comparison

Pete Donohue (1921–1932) and Lefty Grove (1925–1941) — both came up during the 1920s, so the matchup is a direct one. Pete Donohue compiled 134 wins and 571 strikeouts; Lefty Grove put up 300 wins and 2,266 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Pete Donohue

Pitcher · 1921–1932
Wins
134
Losses
118
Strikeouts
571
ERA
3.87
WHIP
1.35
IP
2,112
View Pete Donohue's full profile →

Lefty Grove

Pitcher · 1925–1941
Wins
300
Losses
141
Strikeouts
2,266
ERA
3.06
WHIP
1.28
IP
3,940
View Lefty Grove'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 Pete Donohue Lefty Grove
Wins 134 300
Losses 118 141
Games 344 616
Games Started 270 457
Complete Games 137 298
Shutouts 16 35
Saves 12 55
Strikeouts 571 2,266
Walks 422 1,187
Hits Allowed 2,439 3,849
Home Runs Allowed 68 162
Innings Pitched 2,112 3,940
ERA 3.87 3.06
WHIP 1.35 1.28
K/9 2.43 5.18
BB/9 1.80 2.71

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lefty Grove outpaces Pete Donohue 81,321 to 26,748 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,784 vs 1,911 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Pete Donohue
26,748
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,911 per season (14 seasons)
Lefty Grove
81,321
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,784 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).

Pete Donohue — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19253.08 ERA21-14, 78 K in 301 IP
19223.12 ERA18-9, 66 K in 242 IP
19263.37 ERA20-14, 73 K in 285 IP

Lefty Grove — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19312.06 ERA31-4, 175 K in 288 IP
19262.51 ERA13-13, 194 K in 258 IP
19302.54 ERA28-5, 209 K in 291 IP

Verdict

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

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