Red Faber vs Walter Johnson: Career Stats Comparison

Red Faber (1914–1933) and Walter Johnson (1907–1927) — breaking in during the 1910s and the 1900s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Red Faber compiled 254 wins and 1,471 strikeouts; Walter Johnson put up 417 wins and 3,509 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Red Faber

Pitcher · 1914–1933
Wins
254
Losses
213
Strikeouts
1,471
ERA
3.15
WHIP
1.30
IP
4,086
View Red Faber's full profile →

Walter Johnson

Pitcher · 1907–1927
Wins
417
Losses
279
Strikeouts
3,509
ERA
2.17
WHIP
1.06
IP
5,914
View Walter Johnson'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 Red Faber Walter Johnson
Wins 254 417
Losses 213 279
Games 669 802
Games Started 483 666
Complete Games 273 531
Shutouts 29 110
Saves 28 34
Strikeouts 1,471 3,509
Walks 1,213 1,363
Hits Allowed 4,106 4,913
Home Runs Allowed 111 97
Innings Pitched 4,086 5,914
ERA 3.15 2.17
WHIP 1.30 1.06
K/9 3.24 5.34
BB/9 2.67 2.07

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Walter Johnson outpaces Red Faber 124,021 to 24,538 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,906 vs 1,227 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Red Faber
24,538
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,227 per season (20 seasons)
Walter Johnson
124,021
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,906 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Red Faber — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19171.92 ERA16-13, 84 K in 248 IP
19162.02 ERA17-9, 87 K in 205 IP
19212.48 ERA25-15, 124 K in 330 IP

Walter Johnson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19131.14 ERA36-7, 243 K in 346 IP
19181.27 ERA23-13, 162 K in 326 IP
19101.36 ERA25-17, 313 K in 370 IP

Verdict

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

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