Lefty Grove vs Claude Passeau: Career Stats Comparison
Lefty Grove has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Lefty Grove played 1925–1941 as a pitcher; Claude Passeau played 1935–1947 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
Lefty Grove (1925–1941) and Claude Passeau (1935–1947) — breaking in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Lefty Grove finished with 300 wins and 2,266 strikeouts; Claude Passeau finished with 162 wins and 1,104 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Lefty Grove, with 3.06 to Claude Passeau's 3.32.
- Who won more games? Lefty Grove, with 300 to Claude Passeau's 162.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Lefty Grove, with 2,266 to Claude Passeau's 1,104.
- Who had the better WHIP? Lefty Grove, with 1.28 to Claude Passeau's 1.32.
- Who pitched more innings? Lefty Grove, with 3,940.2 to Claude Passeau's 2,719.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Lefty Grove, with 35 to Claude Passeau's 26.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Lefty Grove, with 81,321 career Pitcher PIV to Claude Passeau's 39,598.
Lefty Grove
Claude Passeau
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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Lefty Grove | Claude Passeau |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 300 | 162 |
| Losses not scored | 141 | 150 |
| Games | Leads: 616 | 444 |
| Games Started | Leads: 457 | 331 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 298 | 188 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 35 | 26 |
| Saves | Leads: 55 | 21 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,266 | 1,104 |
| Walks not scored | 1,187 | 728 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 3,849 | 2,856 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 162 | 105 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 3,940.2 | 2,719.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.06 | 3.32 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.28 | 1.32 |
| K/9 | Leads: 5.18 | 3.65 |
| BB/9 | 2.71 | Leads: 2.41 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lefty Grove outpaces Claude Passeau 81,321 to 39,598 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,784 PIV per season to 2,828, across 17 seasons to 14. 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).
Lefty Grove — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Claude Passeau — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lefty Grove leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Claude Passeau owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Lefty Grove. PIV agrees: Lefty Grove grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Lefty Grove and Claude Passeau careers compare
The careers of Lefty Grove (1925–1941) and Claude Passeau (1935–1947) overlapped from 1935 to 1941, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 616 games for Lefty Grove and 444 for Claude Passeau across 17 and 14 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Claude Passeau are walks per nine (2.41 to 2.71). The per-nine rows read 5.18 strikeouts and 2.71 walks for Lefty Grove, 3.65 and 2.41 for Claude Passeau. Lefty Grove was mainly a starter (457 starts in 616 games), and Claude Passeau was mainly a starter (331 starts in 444 games).
Lefty Grove vs Claude Passeau: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lefty Grove or Claude Passeau?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lefty Grove leads Claude Passeau in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Lefty Grove, with 3.06 to Claude Passeau's 3.32.
- Who won more games?
- Lefty Grove, with 300 to Claude Passeau's 162.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Lefty Grove, with 2,266 to Claude Passeau's 1,104.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Lefty Grove, with 1.28 to Claude Passeau's 1.32.