Walter Johnson vs Sam Rice: Career Stats Comparison
Walter Johnson and Sam Rice played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Walter Johnson played 1907–1927 as a pitcher; Sam Rice played 1915–1934 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Walter Johnson (1907–1927) and Sam Rice (1915–1934) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Walter Johnson pitched, totalling 417 wins and 3,509 strikeouts; Sam Rice hit, totalling 2,987 hits and 34 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Walter Johnson, with 124,021 career PIV to Sam Rice's 18,800.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Walter Johnson
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Walter Johnson is shown on pitching lines and Sam Rice on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Walter Johnson — Pitcher
| Statistic | Walter Johnson |
|---|---|
| Wins | 417 |
| Losses | 279 |
| Games | 802 |
| Games Started | 666 |
| Complete Games | 531 |
| Shutouts | 110 |
| Saves | 34 |
| Strikeouts | 3,509 |
| Walks | 1,363 |
| Hits Allowed | 4,913 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 97 |
| Innings Pitched | 5,914.2 |
| ERA | 2.17 |
| WHIP | 1.06 |
| K/9 | 5.34 |
| BB/9 | 2.07 |
Sam Rice — Hitter
| Statistic | Sam Rice |
|---|---|
| Games | 2,404 |
| At-Bats | 9,269 |
| Runs | 1,514 |
| Hits | 2,987 |
| Doubles | 498 |
| Triples | 184 |
| Home Runs | 34 |
| RBI | 1,078 |
| Walks | 708 |
| Strikeouts | 275 |
| Stolen Bases | 351 |
| Batting Avg | .322 |
| On-Base % | .374 |
| Slugging % | .427 |
| OPS | .801 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Walter Johnson carries a career pitching PIV of 124,021; Sam Rice carries a career batting PIV of 18,800. Walter Johnson is the higher of the two at 124,021 to 18,800. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
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 within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Walter Johnson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Sam Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Walter Johnson and Sam Rice: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Walter Johnson grades higher, 124,021 to 18,800. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Walter Johnson and Sam Rice careers compare
The careers of Walter Johnson (1907–1927) and Sam Rice (1915–1934) overlapped from 1915 to 1927, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Walter Johnson's pitching card shows 417 wins, a 2.17 ERA and 3,509 strikeouts. As a hitter, Sam Rice collected 2,987 hits and 34 home runs with a .801 OPS. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, 1.14 ERA in 1913 for Walter Johnson and .864 OPS in 1930 for Sam Rice.
Walter Johnson vs Sam Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Walter Johnson, with 124,021 career PIV to Sam Rice's 18,800.
- Who won more championships?
- Both — each won 1 World Series title.
- How do Walter Johnson and Sam Rice compare?
- Walter Johnson played 1907–1927 and Sam Rice played 1915–1934; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.