Jon Lieber vs Jose Rijo: Career Stats Comparison

Jon Lieber (1994–2008) and Jose Rijo (1984–2002) — breaking in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Jon Lieber compiled 131 wins and 1,553 strikeouts; Jose Rijo put up 116 wins and 1,606 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jon Lieber

Pitcher · 1994–2008
Wins
131
Losses
124
Strikeouts
1,553
ERA
4.27
WHIP
1.28
IP
2,198
View Jon Lieber's full profile →

Jose Rijo

Pitcher · 1984–2002
Wins
116
Losses
91
Strikeouts
1,606
ERA
3.24
WHIP
1.26
IP
1,880
View Jose Rijo'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 Jon Lieber Jose Rijo
Wins 131 116
Losses 124 91
Games 401 376
Games Started 327 269
Complete Games 25 22
Shutouts 5 4
Saves 2 3
Strikeouts 1,553 1,606
Walks 422 663
Hits Allowed 2,388 1,710
Home Runs Allowed 285 147
Innings Pitched 2,198 1,880
ERA 4.27 3.24
WHIP 1.28 1.26
K/9 6.36 7.69
BB/9 1.73 3.17

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jose Rijo leads Jon Lieber 35,808 to 27,226 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,558 vs 1,945 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jon Lieber
27,226
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,945 per season (14 seasons)
Jose Rijo
35,808
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,558 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jon Lieber — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20023.70 ERA6-8, 87 K in 141 IP
20013.80 ERA20-6, 148 K in 232 IP
19963.99 ERA9-5, 94 K in 142 IP

Jose Rijo — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19882.39 ERA13-8, 160 K in 162 IP
19932.48 ERA14-9, 227 K in 257 IP
19912.51 ERA15-6, 172 K in 204 IP

Verdict

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

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