Max Fried vs Justin Verlander: Career Stats Comparison
Justin Verlander has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Max Fried has played 2017–present as a pitcher; Justin Verlander has played 2005–present 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
Max Fried (2017–present) and Justin Verlander (2005–present) — breaking in during the 2010s and the 2000s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Max Fried has 97 wins and 1,156 strikeouts through October 12, 2026; Justin Verlander has 266 wins and 3,560 strikeouts through October 12, 2026. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Max Fried, with 3.01 to Justin Verlander's 3.33.
- Who won more games? Justin Verlander, with 266 to Max Fried's 97.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Justin Verlander, with 3,560 to Max Fried's 1,156.
- Who had the better WHIP? Neither — both are at 1.14.
- Who pitched more innings? Justin Verlander, with 3,576.2 to Max Fried's 1,192.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Justin Verlander, with 9 to Max Fried's 4.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Justin Verlander, with 68,171 career Pitcher PIV to Max Fried's 26,852.
Max Fried
Justin Verlander
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, and the 2010s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Max Fried and Justin Verlander are still active — their totals below are current through October 12, 2026.
| Statistic | Max Fried | Justin Verlander |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 97 | Leads: 266 |
| Losses not scored | 46 | 159 |
| Games | 220 | Leads: 557 |
| Games Started | 203 | Leads: 557 |
| Complete Games | 6 | Leads: 26 |
| Shutouts | 4 | Leads: 9 |
| Saves | 0 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | 1,156 | Leads: 3,560 |
| Walks not scored | 330 | 1,007 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,026 | 3,057 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 94 | 374 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,192.1 | Leads: 3,576.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.01 | 3.33 |
| WHIP | 1.14 | Leads: 1.14 |
| K/9 | 8.73 | Leads: 8.96 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.49 | 2.53 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Justin Verlander outpaces Max Fried 68,171 to 26,852 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,099 PIV per season to 2,984, across 22 seasons to 9. 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).
Max Fried — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Justin Verlander — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Justin Verlander leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/9, while Max Fried owns ERA. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Justin Verlander. PIV agrees: Justin Verlander grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Max Fried and Justin Verlander careers compare
Max Fried and Justin Verlander are both active, and their careers have run side by side since 2017. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Max Fried has appeared in 220 games to Justin Verlander's 557. Max Fried's edges on the table are ERA (3.01 to 3.33) and walks per nine (2.49 to 2.53). The per-nine rows read 8.73 strikeouts and 2.49 walks for Max Fried, 8.96 and 2.53 for Justin Verlander. Both had the same role: Max Fried was mainly a starter (203 starts in 220 games); Justin Verlander was mainly a starter (557 starts in 557 games). In WHIP, Justin Verlander's 1.14 beats Max Fried's 1.14. Because Max Fried and Justin Verlander are still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Max Fried vs Justin Verlander: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Max Fried or Justin Verlander?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Justin Verlander leads Max Fried in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Max Fried, with 3.01 to Justin Verlander's 3.33.
- Who won more games?
- Justin Verlander, with 266 to Max Fried's 97.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Justin Verlander, with 3,560 to Max Fried's 1,156.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Neither — both are at 1.14.