Willie Foster vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison
Cy Young has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Willie Foster played ?–1937 as a pitcher; Cy Young played 1890–1911 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
Willie Foster (?–1937) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — they pitched in different contexts, so adjusted stats matter. Willie Foster finished with 125 wins and 1,062 strikeouts; Cy Young finished with 511 wins and 2,803 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Cy Young, with 2.63 to Willie Foster's 2.66.
- Who won more games? Cy Young, with 511 to Willie Foster's 125.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Cy Young, with 2,803 to Willie Foster's 1,062.
- Who had the better WHIP? Cy Young, with 1.13 to Willie Foster's 1.15.
- Who pitched more innings? Cy Young, with 7,356.0 to Willie Foster's 1,665.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Cy Young, with 76 to Willie Foster's 34.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Cy Young, with 141,398 career Pitcher PIV to Willie Foster's 41,672.
Willie Foster
Cy Young
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 | Willie Foster | Cy Young |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 125 | Leads: 511 |
| Losses not scored | 60 | 315 |
| Games | 262 | Leads: 906 |
| Games Started | 185 | Leads: 815 |
| Complete Games | 142 | Leads: 749 |
| Shutouts | 34 | Leads: 76 |
| Saves | 14 | Leads: 18 |
| Strikeouts | 1,062 | Leads: 2,803 |
| Walks not scored | 522 | 1,217 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,397 | 7,092 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 41 | 138 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,665.0 | Leads: 7,356.0 |
| ERA | 2.66 | Leads: 2.63 |
| WHIP | 1.15 | Leads: 1.13 |
| K/9 | Leads: 5.74 | 3.43 |
| BB/9 | 2.82 | Leads: 1.49 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Willie Foster 141,398 to 41,672 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 6,148 PIV per season to 2,193, across 23 seasons to 19. 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).
Willie Foster — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cy Young leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Willie Foster owns K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cy Young. PIV agrees: Cy Young grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Willie Foster and Cy Young careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Cy Young's ended in 1911, and Willie Foster debuted in 1937. Cy Young has the far longer record, 906 games against 262 across 19 and 23 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Willie Foster's edges on the table are strikeouts per nine (5.74 to 3.43). The per-nine rows read 5.74 strikeouts and 2.82 walks for Willie Foster, 3.43 and 1.49 for Cy Young. Willie Foster was mainly a starter (185 starts in 262 games), and Cy Young was mainly a starter (815 starts in 906 games). Complete games (142 to 749) show how differently the two eras used starters.
Willie Foster vs Cy Young: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Foster or Cy Young?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Cy Young leads Willie Foster in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Cy Young, with 2.63 to Willie Foster's 2.66.
- Who won more games?
- Cy Young, with 511 to Willie Foster's 125.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Cy Young, with 2,803 to Willie Foster's 1,062.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Cy Young, with 1.13 to Willie Foster's 1.15.