Whitey Ford vs Bob Rush: Career Stats Comparison

Whitey Ford (1950–1967) and Bob Rush (1948–1960) — breaking in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Whitey Ford compiled 236 wins and 1,956 strikeouts; Bob Rush put up 127 wins and 1,244 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Whitey Ford

Pitcher · 1950–1967
Wins
236
Losses
106
Strikeouts
1,956
ERA
2.75
WHIP
1.22
IP
3,170
View Whitey Ford's full profile →

Bob Rush

Pitcher · 1948–1960
Wins
127
Losses
152
Strikeouts
1,244
ERA
3.65
WHIP
1.29
IP
2,410
View Bob Rush'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 Whitey Ford Bob Rush
Wins 236 127
Losses 106 152
Games 498 417
Games Started 438 321
Complete Games 156 118
Shutouts 45 16
Saves 10 8
Strikeouts 1,956 1,244
Walks 1,086 789
Hits Allowed 2,766 2,327
Home Runs Allowed 228 177
Innings Pitched 3,170 2,410
ERA 2.75 3.65
WHIP 1.22 1.29
K/9 5.55 4.64
BB/9 3.08 2.95

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Whitey Ford outpaces Bob Rush 47,870 to 35,739 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,992 vs 2,553 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Whitey Ford
47,870
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,992 per season (16 seasons)
Bob Rush
35,739
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,553 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Whitey Ford — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19582.01 ERA14-7, 145 K in 219 IP
19642.13 ERA17-6, 172 K in 244 IP
19562.47 ERA19-6, 141 K in 225 IP

Bob Rush — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19522.70 ERA17-13, 157 K in 250 IP
19563.19 ERA13-10, 104 K in 239 IP
19583.42 ERA10-6, 84 K in 147 IP

Verdict

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

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