Walter Johnson vs Hilton Smith: Career Stats Comparison
Walter Johnson has the better career line of the two, leading 10 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; Hilton Smith played ?–1948 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 Hilton Smith (?–1948) — they pitched in different contexts, so adjusted stats matter. Walter Johnson finished with 417 wins and 3,509 strikeouts; Hilton Smith finished with 71 wins and 628 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 Hilton Smith's 2.93.
- Who won more games? Walter Johnson, with 417 to Hilton Smith's 71.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Walter Johnson, with 3,509 to Hilton Smith's 628.
- Who had the better WHIP? Walter Johnson, with 1.06 to Hilton Smith's 1.11.
- Who pitched more innings? Walter Johnson, with 5,914.2 to Hilton Smith's 975.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Walter Johnson, with 110 to Hilton Smith's 8.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Walter Johnson, with 124,021 career Pitcher PIV to Hilton Smith's 37,558.
Walter Johnson
Hilton Smith
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 | Hilton Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 417 | 71 |
| Losses not scored | 279 | 38 |
| Games | Leads: 802 | 170 |
| Games Started | Leads: 666 | 104 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 531 | 63 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 110 | 8 |
| Saves | Leads: 34 | 16 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 3,509 | 628 |
| Walks not scored | 1,363 | 198 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 4,913 | 883 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 97 | 19 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 5,914.2 | 975.1 |
| ERA | Leads: 2.17 | 2.93 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.06 | 1.11 |
| K/9 | 5.34 | Leads: 5.79 |
| BB/9 | 2.07 | Leads: 1.83 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Walter Johnson outpaces Hilton Smith 124,021 to 37,558 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,906 PIV per season to 2,504, across 21 seasons to 15. 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)
Hilton Smith — top 1 season by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Walter Johnson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Hilton Smith owns K/9. 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 Hilton Smith careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Walter Johnson's ended in 1927, and Hilton Smith debuted in 1948. Walter Johnson has the far longer record, 802 games against 170 across 21 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Hilton Smith are strikeouts per nine (5.79 to 5.34) and walks per nine (1.83 to 2.07). The per-nine rows read 5.34 strikeouts and 2.07 walks for Walter Johnson, 5.79 and 1.83 for Hilton Smith. Walter Johnson was mainly a starter (666 starts in 802 games), while Hilton Smith split time between starting and relief (104 starts in 170 games).
Walter Johnson vs Hilton Smith: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Walter Johnson or Hilton Smith?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Walter Johnson leads Hilton Smith in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Walter Johnson, with 2.17 to Hilton Smith's 2.93.
- Who won more games?
- Walter Johnson, with 417 to Hilton Smith's 71.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Walter Johnson, with 3,509 to Hilton Smith's 628.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Walter Johnson, with 1.06 to Hilton Smith's 1.11.