Dwight Gooden vs Clayton Kershaw: Career Stats Comparison
Clayton Kershaw 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). Dwight Gooden played 1984–2000 as a pitcher; Clayton Kershaw played 2008–2025 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
Dwight Gooden (1984–2000) and Clayton Kershaw (2008–2025) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 2000s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Dwight Gooden finished with 194 wins and 2,293 strikeouts; Clayton Kershaw finished with 223 wins and 3,052 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Clayton Kershaw, with 2.53 to Dwight Gooden's 3.51.
- Who won more games? Clayton Kershaw, with 223 to Dwight Gooden's 194.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Clayton Kershaw, with 3,052 to Dwight Gooden's 2,293.
- Who had the better WHIP? Clayton Kershaw, with 1.02 to Dwight Gooden's 1.26.
- Who pitched more innings? Clayton Kershaw, with 2,855.1 to Dwight Gooden's 2,800.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Dwight Gooden, with 24 to Clayton Kershaw's 15.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Clayton Kershaw, with 93,455 career Pitcher PIV to Dwight Gooden's 55,535.
Dwight Gooden
Clayton Kershaw
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 1980s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Dwight Gooden | Clayton Kershaw |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 194 | Leads: 223 |
| Losses not scored | 112 | 96 |
| Games | 430 | Leads: 455 |
| Games Started | 410 | Leads: 451 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 68 | 25 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 24 | 15 |
| Saves | Leads: 3 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | 2,293 | Leads: 3,052 |
| Walks not scored | 954 | 713 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 2,564 | 2,193 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 210 | 235 |
| Innings Pitched | 2,800.2 | Leads: 2,855.1 |
| ERA | 3.51 | Leads: 2.53 |
| WHIP | 1.26 | Leads: 1.02 |
| K/9 | 7.37 | Leads: 9.62 |
| BB/9 | 3.07 | Leads: 2.25 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clayton Kershaw outpaces Dwight Gooden 93,455 to 55,535 — driven by per-season impact — 5,192 PIV per season to 3,085 — rather than by longevity, since Clayton Kershaw played 18 seasons to Dwight Gooden's 18. 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).
Dwight Gooden — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Clayton Kershaw — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Clayton Kershaw leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Dwight Gooden 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.
Related Matchups
How the Dwight Gooden and Clayton Kershaw careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Dwight Gooden's ended in 2000, and Clayton Kershaw debuted in 2008. The two careers are close in length, 430 games for Dwight Gooden and 455 for Clayton Kershaw across 18 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Dwight Gooden's edges on the table are complete games (68 to 25), shutouts (24 to 15), and saves (3 to 0). The per-nine rows read 7.37 strikeouts and 3.07 walks for Dwight Gooden, 9.62 and 2.25 for Clayton Kershaw. Both had the same role: Dwight Gooden was mainly a starter (410 starts in 430 games); Clayton Kershaw was mainly a starter (451 starts in 455 games).
Dwight Gooden vs Clayton Kershaw: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Dwight Gooden or Clayton Kershaw?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Clayton Kershaw leads Dwight Gooden in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 2.53 to Dwight Gooden's 3.51.
- Who won more games?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 223 to Dwight Gooden's 194.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 3,052 to Dwight Gooden's 2,293.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 1.02 to Dwight Gooden's 1.26.