Tom Henke vs Bruce Sutter: Career Stats Comparison

Tom Henke (1982–1995) and Bruce Sutter (1976–1988) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Tom Henke compiled 41 wins and 861 strikeouts; Bruce Sutter put up 68 wins and 861 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Tom Henke

Pitcher · 1982–1995
Wins
41
Losses
42
Strikeouts
861
ERA
2.67
WHIP
1.09
IP
789
View Tom Henke's full profile →

Bruce Sutter

Pitcher · 1976–1988
Wins
68
Losses
71
Strikeouts
861
ERA
2.83
WHIP
1.14
IP
1,042
View Bruce Sutter'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 Tom Henke Bruce Sutter
Wins 41 68
Losses 42 71
Games 642 661
Games Started 0 0
Complete Games 0 0
Shutouts 0 0
Saves 311 300
Strikeouts 861 861
Walks 255 309
Hits Allowed 607 879
Home Runs Allowed 64 77
Innings Pitched 789 1,042
ERA 2.67 2.83
WHIP 1.09 1.14
K/9 9.81 7.44
BB/9 2.91 2.67

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tom Henke leads Bruce Sutter 25,520 to 23,292 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,823 vs 1,941 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tom Henke
25,520
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,823 per season (14 seasons)
Bruce Sutter
23,292
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,941 per season (12 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Tom Henke — top 0 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

Bruce Sutter — top 1 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19841.54 ERA5-7, 77 K in 122 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tom Henke leads in ERA, WHIP, and K/9, while Bruce Sutter owns wins and innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tom Henke. PIV agrees: Tom Henke grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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