Clayton Kershaw vs Aaron Nola: Career Stats Comparison

Clayton Kershaw (2008–present) and Aaron Nola (2015–present) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 2010s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Clayton Kershaw compiled 223 wins and 3,052 strikeouts; Aaron Nola put up 109 wins and 1,876 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Clayton Kershaw

Pitcher · 2008–present
Wins
223
Losses
96
Strikeouts
3,052
ERA
2.53
WHIP
1.02
IP
2,855
View Clayton Kershaw's full profile →

Aaron Nola

Pitcher · 2015–present
Wins
109
Losses
89
Strikeouts
1,876
ERA
3.83
WHIP
1.15
IP
1,715
View Aaron Nola'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 Clayton Kershaw Aaron Nola
Wins 223 109
Losses 96 89
Games 455 285
Games Started 451 285
Complete Games 25 6
Shutouts 15 4
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 3,052 1,876
Walks 713 449
Hits Allowed 2,193 1,522
Home Runs Allowed 235 217
Innings Pitched 2,855 1,715
ERA 2.53 3.83
WHIP 1.02 1.15
K/9 9.62 9.84
BB/9 2.25 2.36

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clayton Kershaw outpaces Aaron Nola 93,455 to 31,635 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,192 vs 2,876 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Clayton Kershaw
93,455
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,192 per season (18 seasons)
Aaron Nola
31,635
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,876 per season (11 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Clayton Kershaw — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20161.69 ERA12-4, 172 K in 149 IP
20141.77 ERA21-3, 239 K in 198 IP
20131.83 ERA16-9, 232 K in 236 IP

Aaron Nola — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20182.37 ERA17-6, 224 K in 212 IP
20223.25 ERA11-13, 235 K in 205 IP
20173.54 ERA12-11, 184 K in 168 IP

Verdict

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

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