Clayton Kershaw vs Hilton Smith: Career Stats Comparison
Clayton Kershaw has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Clayton Kershaw played 2008–2025 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
Clayton Kershaw (2008–2025) and Hilton Smith (?–1948) — they pitched in different contexts, so adjusted stats matter. Clayton Kershaw finished with 223 wins and 3,052 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? Clayton Kershaw, with 2.53 to Hilton Smith's 2.93.
- Who won more games? Clayton Kershaw, with 223 to Hilton Smith's 71.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Clayton Kershaw, with 3,052 to Hilton Smith's 628.
- Who had the better WHIP? Clayton Kershaw, with 1.02 to Hilton Smith's 1.11.
- Who pitched more innings? Clayton Kershaw, with 2,855.1 to Hilton Smith's 975.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Clayton Kershaw, with 15 to Hilton Smith's 8.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Clayton Kershaw, with 93,455 career Pitcher PIV to Hilton Smith's 37,558.
Clayton Kershaw
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 | Clayton Kershaw | Hilton Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 223 | 71 |
| Losses not scored | 96 | 38 |
| Games | Leads: 455 | 170 |
| Games Started | Leads: 451 | 104 |
| Complete Games | 25 | Leads: 63 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 15 | 8 |
| Saves | 0 | Leads: 16 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 3,052 | 628 |
| Walks not scored | 713 | 198 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 2,193 | 883 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 235 | 19 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 2,855.1 | 975.1 |
| ERA | Leads: 2.53 | 2.93 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.02 | 1.11 |
| K/9 | Leads: 9.62 | 5.79 |
| BB/9 | 2.25 | Leads: 1.83 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Clayton Kershaw outpaces Hilton Smith 93,455 to 37,558 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,192 PIV per season to 2,504, across 18 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).
Clayton Kershaw — 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, Clayton Kershaw leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Hilton Smith 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.
Related Matchups
How the Clayton Kershaw and Hilton Smith careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Hilton Smith's ended in 1948, and Clayton Kershaw debuted in 2008. Clayton Kershaw has the far longer record, 455 games against 170 across 18 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Hilton Smith are complete games (63 to 25), saves (16 to 0), and walks per nine (1.83 to 2.25). The per-nine rows read 9.62 strikeouts and 2.25 walks for Clayton Kershaw, 5.79 and 1.83 for Hilton Smith. Clayton Kershaw was mainly a starter (451 starts in 455 games), while Hilton Smith split time between starting and relief (104 starts in 170 games). In WHIP, Clayton Kershaw's 1.02 beats Hilton Smith's 1.11.
Clayton Kershaw vs Hilton Smith: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Clayton Kershaw or Hilton Smith?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Clayton Kershaw leads Hilton Smith in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 2.53 to Hilton Smith's 2.93.
- Who won more games?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 223 to Hilton Smith's 71.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 3,052 to Hilton Smith's 628.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Clayton Kershaw, with 1.02 to Hilton Smith's 1.11.