Clayton Kershaw vs Jake Peavy: Career Stats Comparison

Clayton Kershaw (2008–present) and Jake Peavy (2002–2016) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. Clayton Kershaw compiled 223 wins and 3,052 strikeouts; Jake Peavy put up 152 wins and 2,207 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 →

Jake Peavy

Pitcher · 2002–2016
Wins
152
Losses
126
Strikeouts
2,207
ERA
3.63
WHIP
1.20
IP
2,377
View Jake Peavy'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 Jake Peavy
Wins 223 152
Losses 96 126
Games 455 388
Games Started 451 377
Complete Games 25 15
Shutouts 15 6
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 3,052 2,207
Walks 713 708
Hits Allowed 2,193 2,134
Home Runs Allowed 235 259
Innings Pitched 2,855 2,377
ERA 2.53 3.63
WHIP 1.02 1.20
K/9 9.62 8.36
BB/9 2.25 2.68

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clayton Kershaw outpaces Jake Peavy 93,455 to 34,745 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,192 vs 1,930 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)
Jake Peavy
34,745
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,930 per season (18 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

Jake Peavy — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20042.27 ERA15-6, 173 K in 166 IP
20072.54 ERA19-6, 240 K in 223 IP
20082.85 ERA10-11, 166 K in 173 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Clayton Kershaw leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jake Peavy owns no headline categories. 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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