Roy Face vs Billy O'Dell: Career Stats Comparison
Billy O'Dell 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). Roy Face played 1953–1969 as a pitcher; Billy O'Dell played 1954–1967 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
Roy Face (1953–1969) and Billy O'Dell (1954–1967) — both came up during the 1950s, so the matchup is a direct one. Roy Face finished with 104 wins and 877 strikeouts; Billy O'Dell finished with 105 wins and 1,133 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Billy O'Dell, with 3.29 to Roy Face's 3.48.
- Who won more games? Billy O'Dell, with 105 to Roy Face's 104.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Billy O'Dell, with 1,133 to Roy Face's 877.
- Who had the better WHIP? Neither — both are at 1.24.
- Who pitched more innings? Billy O'Dell, with 1,817.0 to Roy Face's 1,375.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Billy O'Dell, with 13 to Roy Face's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Billy O'Dell, with 23,766 career Pitcher PIV to Roy Face's 14,397.
Billy O'Dell
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 | Roy Face | Billy O'Dell |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 104 | Leads: 105 |
| Losses not scored | 95 | 100 |
| Games | Leads: 848 | 479 |
| Games Started | 27 | Leads: 199 |
| Complete Games | 6 | Leads: 63 |
| Shutouts | 0 | Leads: 13 |
| Saves | Leads: 193 | 48 |
| Strikeouts | 877 | Leads: 1,133 |
| Walks not scored | 362 | 556 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,347 | 1,697 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 141 | 137 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,375.0 | Leads: 1,817.0 |
| ERA | 3.48 | Leads: 3.29 |
| WHIP | 1.24 | Leads: 1.24 |
| K/9 | Leads: 5.74 | 5.61 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.37 | 2.75 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy O'Dell outpaces Roy Face 23,766 to 14,397 — driven by per-season impact — 1,698 PIV per season to 847 — rather than by longevity, since Billy O'Dell played 14 seasons to Roy Face's 17. 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).
Roy Face — top 2 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Billy O'Dell — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy O'Dell leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Roy Face owns K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy O'Dell. PIV agrees: Billy O'Dell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roy Face and Billy O'Dell careers compare
The careers of Roy Face (1953–1969) and Billy O'Dell (1954–1967) overlapped from 1954 to 1967, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Roy Face has the far longer record, 848 games against 479 across 17 and 14 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Roy Face are games (848 to 479), saves (193 to 48), and strikeouts per nine (5.74 to 5.61). By rate, Roy Face struck out 5.74 and walked 2.37 per nine innings; Billy O'Dell struck out 5.61 and walked 2.75.
Roy Face vs Billy O'Dell: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Face or Billy O'Dell?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Billy O'Dell leads Roy Face in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Billy O'Dell, with 3.29 to Roy Face's 3.48.
- Who won more games?
- Billy O'Dell, with 105 to Roy Face's 104.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Billy O'Dell, with 1,133 to Roy Face's 877.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Neither — both are at 1.24.