Randy Johnson vs Jon Lieber: Career Stats Comparison

Randy Johnson (1988–2009) and Jon Lieber (1994–2008) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Randy Johnson compiled 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts; Jon Lieber put up 131 wins and 1,553 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Randy Johnson

Pitcher · 1988–2009
Wins
303
Losses
166
Strikeouts
4,875
ERA
3.29
WHIP
1.17
IP
4,135
View Randy Johnson's full profile →

Jon Lieber

Pitcher · 1994–2008
Wins
131
Losses
124
Strikeouts
1,553
ERA
4.27
WHIP
1.28
IP
2,198
View Jon Lieber'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 Randy Johnson Jon Lieber
Wins 303 131
Losses 166 124
Games 618 401
Games Started 603 327
Complete Games 100 25
Shutouts 37 5
Saves 2 2
Strikeouts 4,875 1,553
Walks 1,497 422
Hits Allowed 3,346 2,388
Home Runs Allowed 411 285
Innings Pitched 4,135 2,198
ERA 3.29 4.27
WHIP 1.17 1.28
K/9 10.61 6.36
BB/9 3.26 1.73

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Randy Johnson outpaces Jon Lieber 122,530 to 27,226 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,105 vs 1,945 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Randy Johnson
122,530
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,105 per season (24 seasons)
Jon Lieber
27,226
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,945 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Randy Johnson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19972.28 ERA20-4, 291 K in 213 IP
20022.32 ERA24-5, 334 K in 260 IP
19952.48 ERA18-2, 294 K in 214 IP

Jon Lieber — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20023.70 ERA6-8, 87 K in 141 IP
20013.80 ERA20-6, 148 K in 232 IP
19963.99 ERA9-5, 94 K in 142 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Randy Johnson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jon Lieber owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Randy Johnson. PIV agrees: Randy Johnson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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