Cliff Lee vs David Price: Career Stats Comparison
Cliff Lee (2002–2014) and David Price (2008–2022) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. Cliff Lee compiled 143 wins and 1,824 strikeouts; David Price put up 157 wins and 2,076 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
David Price
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 | Cliff Lee | David Price |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 143 | 157 |
| Losses | 91 | 82 |
| Games | 328 | 400 |
| Games Started | 324 | 322 |
| Complete Games | 29 | 17 |
| Shutouts | 12 | 3 |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
| Strikeouts | 1,824 | 2,076 |
| Walks | 464 | 562 |
| Hits Allowed | 2,116 | 1,930 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 223 | 221 |
| Innings Pitched | 2,156 | 2,143 |
| ERA | 3.52 | 3.32 |
| WHIP | 1.20 | 1.16 |
| K/9 | 7.61 | 8.72 |
| BB/9 | 1.94 | 2.36 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cliff Lee leads David Price 41,719 to 36,995 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,781 vs 2,312 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Cliff Lee — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
David Price — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, David Price leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Cliff Lee owns innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to David Price. Note that PIV actually grades Cliff Lee ahead, which means David Price's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.