Bob Gibson vs Mickey Lolich: Career Stats Comparison

Bob Gibson (1959–1975) and Mickey Lolich (1963–1979) — breaking in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Bob Gibson compiled 251 wins and 3,117 strikeouts; Mickey Lolich put up 217 wins and 2,832 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Bob Gibson

Pitcher · 1959–1975
Wins
251
Losses
174
Strikeouts
3,117
ERA
2.91
WHIP
1.19
IP
3,884
View Bob Gibson's full profile →

Mickey Lolich

Pitcher · 1963–1979
Wins
217
Losses
191
Strikeouts
2,832
ERA
3.44
WHIP
1.23
IP
3,638
View Mickey Lolich'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 Bob Gibson Mickey Lolich
Wins 251 217
Losses 174 191
Games 528 586
Games Started 482 496
Complete Games 255 195
Shutouts 56 41
Saves 6 11
Strikeouts 3,117 2,832
Walks 1,336 1,099
Hits Allowed 3,279 3,366
Home Runs Allowed 257 347
Innings Pitched 3,884 3,638
ERA 2.91 3.44
WHIP 1.19 1.23
K/9 7.22 7.01
BB/9 3.10 2.72

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bob Gibson outpaces Mickey Lolich 69,720 to 32,209 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,101 vs 2,013 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Bob Gibson
69,720
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,101 per season (17 seasons)
Mickey Lolich
32,209
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,013 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

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

19681.12 ERA22-9, 268 K in 304 IP
19692.18 ERA20-13, 269 K in 314 IP
19662.44 ERA21-12, 225 K in 280 IP

Mickey Lolich — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19722.50 ERA22-14, 250 K in 327 IP
19712.92 ERA25-14, 308 K in 376 IP
19673.04 ERA14-13, 174 K in 204 IP

Verdict

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

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