Clark Griffith vs Silver King: Career Stats Comparison
Clark Griffith (1891–1914) and Silver King (1886–1897) — breaking in during the 1890s and the 1880s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Clark Griffith compiled 237 wins and 955 strikeouts; Silver King put up 203 wins and 1,222 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Clark Griffith
Silver King
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 | Clark Griffith | Silver King |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 237 | 203 |
| Losses | 146 | 152 |
| Games | 453 | 397 |
| Games Started | 372 | 370 |
| Complete Games | 337 | 328 |
| Shutouts | 22 | 19 |
| Saves | 8 | 6 |
| Strikeouts | 955 | 1,222 |
| Walks | 774 | 967 |
| Hits Allowed | 3,670 | 3,098 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 76 | 69 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,385 | 3,180 |
| ERA | 3.31 | 3.18 |
| WHIP | 1.31 | 1.28 |
| K/9 | 2.54 | 3.46 |
| BB/9 | 2.06 | 2.74 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clark Griffith leads Silver King 27,947 to 25,621 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,331 vs 2,329 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Clark Griffith — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Silver King — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Silver King leads in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, and K/9, while Clark Griffith owns wins and innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Silver King. Note that PIV actually grades Clark Griffith ahead, which means Silver King's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.