Steve Howe vs Dave Righetti: Career Stats Comparison
Dave Righetti has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Steve Howe played 1980–1996 as a pitcher; Dave Righetti played 1979–1995 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
Steve Howe (1980–1996) and Dave Righetti (1979–1995) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Steve Howe finished with 47 wins and 328 strikeouts; Dave Righetti finished with 82 wins and 1,112 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Steve Howe, with 3.03 to Dave Righetti's 3.46.
- Who won more games? Dave Righetti, with 82 to Steve Howe's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Dave Righetti, with 1,112 to Steve Howe's 328.
- Who had the better WHIP? Steve Howe, with 1.20 to Dave Righetti's 1.34.
- Who pitched more innings? Dave Righetti, with 1,403.2 to Steve Howe's 606.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Dave Righetti, with 2 to Steve Howe's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Dave Righetti, with 20,202 career Pitcher PIV to Steve Howe's 12,134.
Dave Righetti
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 1980s and the 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Steve Howe | Dave Righetti |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 47 | Leads: 82 |
| Losses not scored | 41 | 79 |
| Games | 497 | Leads: 718 |
| Games Started | 0 | Leads: 89 |
| Complete Games | 0 | Leads: 13 |
| Shutouts | 0 | Leads: 2 |
| Saves | 91 | Leads: 252 |
| Strikeouts | 328 | Leads: 1,112 |
| Walks not scored | 139 | 591 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 586 | 1,287 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 32 | 95 |
| Innings Pitched | 606.0 | Leads: 1,403.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.03 | 3.46 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.20 | 1.34 |
| K/9 | 4.87 | Leads: 7.13 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.06 | 3.79 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dave Righetti outpaces Steve Howe 20,202 to 12,134 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,188 PIV per season to 933, across 17 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).
Steve Howe
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Dave Righetti — top 2 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Dave Righetti leads in wins, strikeouts, K/9, and innings pitched, while Steve Howe owns ERA and WHIP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dave Righetti. PIV agrees: Dave Righetti grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Steve Howe and Dave Righetti careers compare
The careers of Steve Howe (1980–1996) and Dave Righetti (1979–1995) overlapped from 1980 to 1995, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 497 games for Steve Howe and 718 for Dave Righetti across 13 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Steve Howe are ERA (3.03 to 3.46), WHIP (1.20 to 1.34), and walks per nine (2.06 to 3.79). The per-nine rows read 4.87 strikeouts and 2.06 walks for Steve Howe, 7.13 and 3.79 for Dave Righetti.
Steve Howe vs Dave Righetti: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Steve Howe or Dave Righetti?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Dave Righetti leads Steve Howe in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Steve Howe, with 3.03 to Dave Righetti's 3.46.
- Who won more games?
- Dave Righetti, with 82 to Steve Howe's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Dave Righetti, with 1,112 to Steve Howe's 328.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Steve Howe, with 1.20 to Dave Righetti's 1.34.