Roy Halladay vs Don Sutton: Career Stats Comparison
Don Sutton has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Roy Halladay played 1998–2013 as a pitcher; Don Sutton played 1966–1988 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
Roy Halladay (1998–2013) and Don Sutton (1966–1988) — breaking in during the 1990s and the 1960s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Roy Halladay finished with 203 wins and 2,117 strikeouts; Don Sutton finished with 324 wins and 3,574 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Don Sutton, with 3.26 to Roy Halladay's 3.38.
- Who won more games? Don Sutton, with 324 to Roy Halladay's 203.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Don Sutton, with 3,574 to Roy Halladay's 2,117.
- Who had the better WHIP? Don Sutton, with 1.14 to Roy Halladay's 1.18.
- Who pitched more innings? Don Sutton, with 5,282.1 to Roy Halladay's 2,749.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Don Sutton, with 58 to Roy Halladay's 20.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Roy Halladay, with 66,478 career Pitcher PIV to Don Sutton's 63,310.
Roy Halladay
Don Sutton
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 1990s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Roy Halladay | Don Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 203 | Leads: 324 |
| Losses not scored | 105 | 256 |
| Games | 416 | Leads: 774 |
| Games Started | 390 | Leads: 756 |
| Complete Games | 67 | Leads: 178 |
| Shutouts | 20 | Leads: 58 |
| Saves | 1 | Leads: 5 |
| Strikeouts | 2,117 | Leads: 3,574 |
| Walks not scored | 592 | 1,343 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 2,646 | 4,692 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 236 | 472 |
| Innings Pitched | 2,749.1 | Leads: 5,282.1 |
| ERA | 3.38 | Leads: 3.26 |
| WHIP | 1.18 | Leads: 1.14 |
| K/9 | Leads: 6.93 | 6.09 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 1.94 | 2.29 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roy Halladay edges Don Sutton 66,478 to 63,310 — driven by per-season impact — 4,155 PIV per season to 2,532 — rather than by longevity, since Roy Halladay played 16 seasons to Don Sutton's 25. 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).
Roy Halladay — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Don Sutton — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Don Sutton leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Roy Halladay owns K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Don Sutton. Note that PIV actually grades Roy Halladay ahead, which means Don Sutton's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roy Halladay and Don Sutton careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Don Sutton's ended in 1988, and Roy Halladay debuted in 1998. The table compares 416 games of Roy Halladay with 774 of Don Sutton across 16 and 25 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Roy Halladay are strikeouts per nine (6.93 to 6.09) and walks per nine (1.94 to 2.29). The per-nine rows read 6.93 strikeouts and 1.94 walks for Roy Halladay, 6.09 and 2.29 for Don Sutton. Roy Halladay was mainly a starter (390 starts in 416 games), and Don Sutton was mainly a starter (756 starts in 774 games). In WHIP, Don Sutton's 1.14 beats Roy Halladay's 1.18.
Roy Halladay vs Don Sutton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Halladay or Don Sutton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Don Sutton leads Roy Halladay in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Don Sutton, with 3.26 to Roy Halladay's 3.38.
- Who won more games?
- Don Sutton, with 324 to Roy Halladay's 203.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Don Sutton, with 3,574 to Roy Halladay's 2,117.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Don Sutton, with 1.14 to Roy Halladay's 1.18.