Tommy John vs Steve Rogers: Career Stats Comparison

Tommy John (1963–1989) and Steve Rogers (1973–1985) — breaking in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Tommy John compiled 288 wins and 2,245 strikeouts; Steve Rogers put up 158 wins and 1,621 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Tommy John

Pitcher · 1963–1989
Wins
288
Losses
231
Strikeouts
2,245
ERA
3.34
WHIP
1.28
IP
4,710
View Tommy John's full profile →

Steve Rogers

Pitcher · 1973–1985
Wins
158
Losses
152
Strikeouts
1,621
ERA
3.17
WHIP
1.23
IP
2,837
View Steve Rogers'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 Tommy John Steve Rogers
Wins 288 158
Losses 231 152
Games 760 399
Games Started 700 393
Complete Games 162 129
Shutouts 46 37
Saves 4 2
Strikeouts 2,245 1,621
Walks 1,259 876
Hits Allowed 4,783 2,619
Home Runs Allowed 302 151
Innings Pitched 4,710 2,837
ERA 3.34 3.17
WHIP 1.28 1.23
K/9 4.29 5.14
BB/9 2.41 2.78

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Steve Rogers leads Tommy John 44,265 to 39,802 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,405 vs 1,422 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tommy John
39,802
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,422 per season (28 seasons)
Steve Rogers
44,265
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,405 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Tommy John — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19681.98 ERA10-5, 117 K in 177 IP
19672.47 ERA10-13, 110 K in 178 IP
19742.59 ERA13-3, 78 K in 153 IP

Steve Rogers — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19731.54 ERA10-5, 64 K in 134 IP
19822.40 ERA19-8, 179 K in 277 IP
19782.47 ERA13-10, 126 K in 219 IP

Verdict

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

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