Clark Griffith vs Eddie Plank: Career Stats Comparison

Clark Griffith (1891–1914) and Eddie Plank (1901–1917) — breaking in during the 1890s and the 1900s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Clark Griffith compiled 237 wins and 955 strikeouts; Eddie Plank put up 326 wins and 2,246 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Clark Griffith

Pitcher · 1891–1914
Wins
237
Losses
146
Strikeouts
955
ERA
3.31
WHIP
1.31
IP
3,385
View Clark Griffith's full profile →

Eddie Plank

Pitcher · 1901–1917
Wins
326
Losses
194
Strikeouts
2,246
ERA
2.35
WHIP
1.12
IP
4,495
View Eddie Plank'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 Clark Griffith Eddie Plank
Wins 237 326
Losses 146 194
Games 453 623
Games Started 372 529
Complete Games 337 410
Shutouts 22 69
Saves 8 23
Strikeouts 955 2,246
Walks 774 1,072
Hits Allowed 3,670 3,958
Home Runs Allowed 76 42
Innings Pitched 3,385 4,495
ERA 3.31 2.35
WHIP 1.31 1.12
K/9 2.54 4.50
BB/9 2.06 2.15

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Plank outpaces Clark Griffith 51,914 to 27,947 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,054 vs 1,331 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Clark Griffith
27,947
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,331 per season (21 seasons)
Eddie Plank
51,914
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,054 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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)

18981.88 ERA24-10, 97 K in 325 IP
19012.67 ERA24-7, 67 K in 266 IP
19032.70 ERA14-11, 69 K in 213 IP

Eddie Plank — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19091.76 ERA19-10, 132 K in 265 IP
19171.79 ERA5-6, 26 K in 131 IP
19102.01 ERA16-10, 123 K in 250 IP

Verdict

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

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