Kevin Gausman vs Clayton Kershaw: Career Stats Comparison

Kevin Gausman (2013–present) and Clayton Kershaw (2008–present) — breaking in during the 2010s and the 2000s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Kevin Gausman compiled 112 wins and 1,954 strikeouts; Clayton Kershaw put up 223 wins and 3,052 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Kevin Gausman

Pitcher · 2013–present
Wins
112
Losses
113
Strikeouts
1,954
ERA
3.81
WHIP
1.24
IP
1,911
View Kevin Gausman's full profile →

Clayton Kershaw

Pitcher · 2008–present
Wins
223
Losses
96
Strikeouts
3,052
ERA
2.53
WHIP
1.02
IP
2,855
View Clayton Kershaw'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 Kevin Gausman Clayton Kershaw
Wins 112 223
Losses 113 96
Games 361 455
Games Started 322 451
Complete Games 4 25
Shutouts 2 15
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 1,954 3,052
Walks 535 713
Hits Allowed 1,835 2,193
Home Runs Allowed 233 235
Innings Pitched 1,911 2,855
ERA 3.81 2.53
WHIP 1.24 1.02
K/9 9.20 9.62
BB/9 2.52 2.25

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clayton Kershaw outpaces Kevin Gausman 93,455 to 28,075 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,192 vs 1,872 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Kevin Gausman
28,075
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,872 per season (15 seasons)
Clayton Kershaw
93,455
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,192 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Kevin Gausman — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20212.81 ERA14-6, 227 K in 192 IP
20233.16 ERA12-9, 237 K in 185 IP
20223.35 ERA12-10, 205 K in 174 IP

Clayton Kershaw — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20161.69 ERA12-4, 172 K in 149 IP
20141.77 ERA21-3, 239 K in 198 IP
20131.83 ERA16-9, 232 K in 236 IP

Verdict

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

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