Jerry Koosman vs Rick Reuschel: Career Stats Comparison

Jerry Koosman (1967–1985) and Rick Reuschel (1972–1991) — breaking in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Jerry Koosman compiled 222 wins and 2,556 strikeouts; Rick Reuschel put up 214 wins and 2,015 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jerry Koosman

Pitcher · 1967–1985
Wins
222
Losses
209
Strikeouts
2,556
ERA
3.36
WHIP
1.26
IP
3,839
View Jerry Koosman's full profile →

Rick Reuschel

Pitcher · 1972–1991
Wins
214
Losses
191
Strikeouts
2,015
ERA
3.37
WHIP
1.27
IP
3,548
View Rick Reuschel'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 Jerry Koosman Rick Reuschel
Wins 222 214
Losses 209 191
Games 612 557
Games Started 527 529
Complete Games 140 102
Shutouts 33 26
Saves 17 5
Strikeouts 2,556 2,015
Walks 1,198 935
Hits Allowed 3,635 3,588
Home Runs Allowed 290 221
Innings Pitched 3,839 3,548
ERA 3.36 3.37
WHIP 1.26 1.27
K/9 5.99 5.11
BB/9 2.81 2.37

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rick Reuschel leads Jerry Koosman 52,650 to 42,939 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,507 vs 2,147 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jerry Koosman
42,939
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,147 per season (20 seasons)
Rick Reuschel
52,650
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,507 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jerry Koosman — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19682.08 ERA19-12, 178 K in 263 IP
19692.28 ERA17-9, 180 K in 241 IP
19762.69 ERA21-10, 200 K in 247 IP

Rick Reuschel — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19852.27 ERA14-8, 138 K in 194 IP
19872.75 ERA8-6, 80 K in 177 IP
19772.79 ERA20-10, 166 K in 252 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jerry Koosman leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Rick Reuschel owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jerry Koosman. Note that PIV actually grades Rick Reuschel ahead, which means Jerry Koosman's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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