Walter Johnson vs Rube Marquard: Career Stats Comparison
Walter Johnson has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Walter Johnson played 1907–1927 as a pitcher; Rube Marquard played 1908–1925 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
Walter Johnson (1907–1927) and Rube Marquard (1908–1925) — both came up during the 1900s, so the matchup is a direct one. Walter Johnson finished with 417 wins and 3,509 strikeouts; Rube Marquard finished with 201 wins and 1,593 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Walter Johnson, with 2.17 to Rube Marquard's 3.08.
- Who won more games? Walter Johnson, with 417 to Rube Marquard's 201.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Walter Johnson, with 3,509 to Rube Marquard's 1,593.
- Who had the better WHIP? Walter Johnson, with 1.06 to Rube Marquard's 1.24.
- Who pitched more innings? Walter Johnson, with 5,914.2 to Rube Marquard's 3,306.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Walter Johnson, with 110 to Rube Marquard's 30.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Walter Johnson, with 124,021 career Pitcher PIV to Rube Marquard's 28,636.
Walter Johnson
Rube Marquard
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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Walter Johnson | Rube Marquard |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 417 | 201 |
| Losses not scored | 279 | 177 |
| Games | Leads: 802 | 536 |
| Games Started | Leads: 666 | 404 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 531 | 197 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 110 | 30 |
| Saves | Leads: 34 | 19 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 3,509 | 1,593 |
| Walks not scored | 1,363 | 858 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 4,913 | 3,233 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 97 | 107 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 5,914.2 | 3,306.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 2.17 | 3.08 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.06 | 1.24 |
| K/9 | Leads: 5.34 | 4.34 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.07 | 2.34 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Walter Johnson outpaces Rube Marquard 124,021 to 28,636 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,906 PIV per season to 1,507, across 21 seasons to 19. 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).
Walter Johnson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Rube Marquard — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Walter Johnson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Rube Marquard owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Walter Johnson. PIV agrees: Walter Johnson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Walter Johnson and Rube Marquard careers compare
Walter Johnson and Rube Marquard were active at the same time between 1908 and 1925. The two careers are close in length, 802 games for Walter Johnson and 536 for Rube Marquard across 21 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Every scored category on the table goes to Walter Johnson. The per-nine rows read 5.34 strikeouts and 2.07 walks for Walter Johnson, 4.34 and 2.34 for Rube Marquard. Walter Johnson was mainly a starter (666 starts in 802 games), and Rube Marquard was mainly a starter (404 starts in 536 games). In WHIP, Walter Johnson's 1.06 beats Rube Marquard's 1.24.
Walter Johnson vs Rube Marquard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Walter Johnson or Rube Marquard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Walter Johnson leads Rube Marquard in 12 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Walter Johnson, with 2.17 to Rube Marquard's 3.08.
- Who won more games?
- Walter Johnson, with 417 to Rube Marquard's 201.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Walter Johnson, with 3,509 to Rube Marquard's 1,593.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Walter Johnson, with 1.06 to Rube Marquard's 1.24.