Octavio Dotel vs Keith Foulke: Career Stats Comparison
Octavio Dotel has the better career line of the two, leading 6 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Octavio Dotel played 1999–2013 as a pitcher; Keith Foulke played 1997–2008 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
Octavio Dotel (1999–2013) and Keith Foulke (1997–2008) — both came up during the 1990s, so the matchup is a direct one. Octavio Dotel finished with 59 wins and 1,143 strikeouts; Keith Foulke finished with 41 wins and 718 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Keith Foulke, with 3.33 to Octavio Dotel's 3.78.
- Who won more games? Octavio Dotel, with 59 to Keith Foulke's 41.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Octavio Dotel, with 1,143 to Keith Foulke's 718.
- Who had the better WHIP? Keith Foulke, with 1.08 to Octavio Dotel's 1.24.
- Who pitched more innings? Octavio Dotel, with 951.0 to Keith Foulke's 786.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Neither — both are at 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Octavio Dotel, with 16,440 career Pitcher PIV to Keith Foulke's 15,363.
Octavio Dotel
Keith Foulke
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 | Octavio Dotel | Keith Foulke |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 59 | 41 |
| Losses not scored | 50 | 37 |
| Games | Leads: 758 | 619 |
| Games Started | Leads: 34 | 8 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 0 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 109 | Leads: 191 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 1,143 | 718 |
| Walks not scored | 412 | 194 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 765 | 652 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 117 | 94 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 951.0 | 786.2 |
| ERA | 3.78 | Leads: 3.33 |
| WHIP | 1.24 | Leads: 1.08 |
| K/9 | Leads: 10.82 | 8.21 |
| BB/9 | 3.90 | Leads: 2.22 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Octavio Dotel edges Keith Foulke 16,440 to 15,363 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Octavio Dotel played 20 seasons to Keith Foulke's 12, while Keith Foulke carries the higher per-season figure (1,280 to 822). 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).
Octavio Dotel — top 1 season by ERA (lower is better)
Keith Foulke
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Octavio Dotel leads in wins, strikeouts, K/9, and innings pitched, while Keith Foulke owns ERA and WHIP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Octavio Dotel. PIV agrees: Octavio Dotel grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Octavio Dotel and Keith Foulke careers compare
The careers of Octavio Dotel (1999–2013) and Keith Foulke (1997–2008) overlapped from 1999 to 2008, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 758 games for Octavio Dotel and 619 for Keith Foulke across 20 and 12 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Keith Foulke are saves (191 to 109), ERA (3.33 to 3.78), and WHIP (1.08 to 1.24). The per-nine rows read 10.82 strikeouts and 3.90 walks for Octavio Dotel, 8.21 and 2.22 for Keith Foulke.
Octavio Dotel vs Keith Foulke: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Octavio Dotel or Keith Foulke?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Octavio Dotel leads Keith Foulke in 6 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Keith Foulke, with 3.33 to Octavio Dotel's 3.78.
- Who won more games?
- Octavio Dotel, with 59 to Keith Foulke's 41.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Octavio Dotel, with 1,143 to Keith Foulke's 718.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Keith Foulke, with 1.08 to Octavio Dotel's 1.24.