Clark Griffith vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison

Clark Griffith (1891–1914) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — both came up during the 1890s, so the matchup is a direct one. Clark Griffith compiled 237 wins and 955 strikeouts; Cy Young put up 511 wins and 2,803 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 →

Cy Young

Pitcher · 1890–1911
Wins
511
Losses
315
Strikeouts
2,803
ERA
2.63
WHIP
1.13
IP
7,356
View Cy Young'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 Cy Young
Wins 237 511
Losses 146 315
Games 453 906
Games Started 372 815
Complete Games 337 749
Shutouts 22 76
Saves 8 18
Strikeouts 955 2,803
Walks 774 1,217
Hits Allowed 3,670 7,092
Home Runs Allowed 76 138
Innings Pitched 3,385 7,356
ERA 3.31 2.63
WHIP 1.31 1.13
K/9 2.54 3.43
BB/9 2.06 1.49

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Clark Griffith 141,398 to 27,947 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (6,148 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)
Cy Young
141,398
Career Pitcher PIV · 6,148 per season (23 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

Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19081.26 ERA21-11, 150 K in 299 IP
19011.62 ERA33-10, 158 K in 371 IP
19051.82 ERA18-19, 210 K in 320 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Cy Young 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 Cy Young. PIV agrees: Cy Young grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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