Larry French vs Early Wynn: Career Stats Comparison

Larry French (1929–1942) and Early Wynn (1939–1963) — breaking in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Larry French compiled 197 wins and 1,187 strikeouts; Early Wynn put up 300 wins and 2,334 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Larry French

Pitcher · 1929–1942
Wins
197
Losses
171
Strikeouts
1,187
ERA
3.44
WHIP
1.33
IP
3,152
View Larry French's full profile →

Early Wynn

Pitcher · 1939–1963
Wins
300
Losses
244
Strikeouts
2,334
ERA
3.54
WHIP
1.33
IP
4,564
View Early Wynn'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 Larry French Early Wynn
Wins 197 300
Losses 171 244
Games 570 691
Games Started 384 612
Complete Games 198 290
Shutouts 40 49
Saves 17 15
Strikeouts 1,187 2,334
Walks 819 1,775
Hits Allowed 3,375 4,291
Home Runs Allowed 164 338
Innings Pitched 3,152 4,564
ERA 3.44 3.54
WHIP 1.33 1.33
K/9 3.39 4.60
BB/9 2.34 3.50

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Larry French leads Early Wynn 31,032 to 25,348 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,069 vs 1,102 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Larry French
31,032
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,069 per season (15 seasons)
Early Wynn
25,348
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,102 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Larry French — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19421.83 ERA15-4, 62 K in 147 IP
19332.72 ERA18-13, 88 K in 291 IP
19352.96 ERA17-10, 90 K in 246 IP

Early Wynn — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19562.72 ERA20-9, 158 K in 277 IP
19542.73 ERA23-11, 155 K in 270 IP
19552.82 ERA17-11, 122 K in 230 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Early Wynn leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/9, while Larry French owns ERA. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Early Wynn. Note that PIV actually grades Larry French ahead, which means Early Wynn's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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