Dennis Eckersley vs Todd Worrell: Career Stats Comparison

Dennis Eckersley has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Dennis Eckersley played 1975–1998 as a pitcher; Todd Worrell played 1985–1997 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

Dennis Eckersley (1975–1998) and Todd Worrell (1985–1997) — breaking in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Dennis Eckersley finished with 197 wins and 2,401 strikeouts; Todd Worrell finished with 50 wins and 628 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Quick answer

  • Who had the better ERA? Todd Worrell, with 3.09 to Dennis Eckersley's 3.50.
  • Who won more games? Dennis Eckersley, with 197 to Todd Worrell's 50.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Dennis Eckersley, with 2,401 to Todd Worrell's 628.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Dennis Eckersley, with 1.16 to Todd Worrell's 1.23.
  • Who pitched more innings? Dennis Eckersley, with 3,285.2 to Todd Worrell's 693.2.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Dennis Eckersley, with 20 to Todd Worrell's 0.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Dennis Eckersley, with 41,139 career Pitcher PIV to Todd Worrell's 12,459.
Leads Dennis Eckersley 10 of 12 scored categories
Pitcher PIV edge Dennis Eckersley +28,680
Read the verdict ↓

Dennis Eckersley

Pitcher · 1975–1998
Wins
197
Losses
171
Strikeouts
2,401
ERA
3.50
WHIP
1.16
IP
3,285.2
View Dennis Eckersley's full profile →

Todd Worrell

Pitcher · 1985–1997
Wins
50
Losses
52
Strikeouts
628
ERA
3.09
WHIP
1.23
IP
693.2
View Todd Worrell'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. 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 1970s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Dennis Eckersley vs Todd Worrell: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Dennis Eckersley Todd Worrell
Wins Leads: 197 50
Losses not scored 171 52
Games Leads: 1,071 617
Games Started Leads: 361 0
Complete Games Leads: 100 0
Shutouts Leads: 20 0
Saves Leads: 390 256
Strikeouts Leads: 2,401 628
Walks not scored 738 247
Hits Allowed not scored 3,076 608
Home Runs Allowed not scored 347 65
Innings Pitched Leads: 3,285.2 693.2
ERA 3.50 Leads: 3.09
WHIP Leads: 1.16 1.23
K/9 6.58 Leads: 8.15
BB/9 Leads: 2.02 3.20

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dennis Eckersley outpaces Todd Worrell 41,139 to 12,459 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,646 PIV per season to 1,133, across 25 seasons to 11. 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.

Dennis Eckersley
41,139
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,646 per season (25 seasons)
Todd Worrell
12,459
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,133 per season (11 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Dennis Eckersley — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19752.60 ERA13-7, 152 K in 186 IP
19782.99 ERA20-8, 162 K in 268 IP
19792.99 ERA17-10, 150 K in 246 IP

Todd Worrell

No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Dennis Eckersley leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched, while Todd Worrell owns ERA and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dennis Eckersley. PIV agrees: Dennis Eckersley grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Dennis Eckersley and Todd Worrell careers compare

From 1985 through 1997, Dennis Eckersley and Todd Worrell were in the majors together. Dennis Eckersley has the far longer record, 1,071 games against 617 across 25 and 11 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Todd Worrell are ERA (3.09 to 3.50) and strikeouts per nine (8.15 to 6.58). By rate, Dennis Eckersley struck out 6.58 and walked 2.02 per nine innings; Todd Worrell struck out 8.15 and walked 3.20. Dennis Eckersley split time between starting and relief (361 starts in 1,071 games), while Todd Worrell worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 617 games, 256 saves).

Dennis Eckersley vs Todd Worrell: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Dennis Eckersley or Todd Worrell?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Dennis Eckersley leads Todd Worrell in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Todd Worrell, with 3.09 to Dennis Eckersley's 3.50.
Who won more games?
Dennis Eckersley, with 197 to Todd Worrell's 50.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Dennis Eckersley, with 2,401 to Todd Worrell's 628.
Who had the better WHIP?
Dennis Eckersley, with 1.16 to Todd Worrell's 1.23.

See These Players in Another Era