Felix Hernandez vs Corey Kluber: Career Stats Comparison
Felix Hernandez has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Felix Hernandez played 2005–2019 as a pitcher; Corey Kluber played 2011–2023 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
Felix Hernandez (2005–2019) and Corey Kluber (2011–2023) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 2010s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Felix Hernandez finished with 169 wins and 2,524 strikeouts; Corey Kluber finished with 116 wins and 1,725 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Felix Hernandez, with 3.42 to Corey Kluber's 3.44.
- Who won more games? Felix Hernandez, with 169 to Corey Kluber's 116.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Felix Hernandez, with 2,524 to Corey Kluber's 1,725.
- Who had the better WHIP? Corey Kluber, with 1.13 to Felix Hernandez's 1.21.
- Who pitched more innings? Felix Hernandez, with 2,729.2 to Corey Kluber's 1,641.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Felix Hernandez, with 11 to Corey Kluber's 8.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Felix Hernandez, with 44,530 career Pitcher PIV to Corey Kluber's 36,049.
Felix Hernandez
Corey Kluber
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 2000s and the 2010s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Felix Hernandez | Corey Kluber |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 169 | 116 |
| Losses not scored | 136 | 77 |
| Games | Leads: 419 | 271 |
| Games Started | Leads: 418 | 260 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 25 | 18 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 11 | 8 |
| Saves | 0 | Leads: 1 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,524 | 1,725 |
| Walks not scored | 805 | 368 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 2,487 | 1,486 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 264 | 177 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 2,729.2 | 1,641.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.42 | 3.44 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | Leads: 1.13 |
| K/9 | 8.32 | Leads: 9.46 |
| BB/9 | 2.65 | Leads: 2.02 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Felix Hernandez leads Corey Kluber 44,530 to 36,049 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,969 PIV per season to 2,773, across 15 seasons to 13. 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).
Felix Hernandez — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Corey Kluber — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Felix Hernandez leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Corey Kluber owns WHIP and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Felix Hernandez. PIV agrees: Felix Hernandez grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Felix Hernandez and Corey Kluber careers compare
Felix Hernandez and Corey Kluber were active at the same time between 2011 and 2019. The table compares 419 games of Felix Hernandez with 271 of Corey Kluber across 15 and 13 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Corey Kluber are saves (1 to 0), WHIP (1.13 to 1.21), and strikeouts per nine (9.46 to 8.32). The per-nine rows read 8.32 strikeouts and 2.65 walks for Felix Hernandez, 9.46 and 2.02 for Corey Kluber. Felix Hernandez was mainly a starter (418 starts in 419 games), and Corey Kluber was mainly a starter (260 starts in 271 games). In WHIP, Corey Kluber's 1.13 beats Felix Hernandez's 1.21.
Felix Hernandez vs Corey Kluber: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Felix Hernandez or Corey Kluber?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Felix Hernandez leads Corey Kluber in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Felix Hernandez, with 3.42 to Corey Kluber's 3.44.
- Who won more games?
- Felix Hernandez, with 169 to Corey Kluber's 116.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Felix Hernandez, with 2,524 to Corey Kluber's 1,725.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Corey Kluber, with 1.13 to Felix Hernandez's 1.21.