Tim Lincecum vs CC Sabathia: Career Stats Comparison

Tim Lincecum (2007–2016) and CC Sabathia (2001–2019) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. Tim Lincecum compiled 110 wins and 1,736 strikeouts; CC Sabathia put up 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Tim Lincecum

Pitcher · 2007–2016
Wins
110
Losses
89
Strikeouts
1,736
ERA
3.74
WHIP
1.29
IP
1,682
View Tim Lincecum's full profile →

CC Sabathia

Pitcher · 2001–2019
Wins
251
Losses
161
Strikeouts
3,093
ERA
3.74
WHIP
1.26
IP
3,577
View CC Sabathia'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 Tim Lincecum CC Sabathia
Wins 110 251
Losses 89 161
Games 278 561
Games Started 270 560
Complete Games 10 38
Shutouts 7 12
Saves 1 0
Strikeouts 1,736 3,093
Walks 669 1,099
Hits Allowed 1,506 3,404
Home Runs Allowed 147 382
Innings Pitched 1,682 3,577
ERA 3.74 3.74
WHIP 1.29 1.26
K/9 9.29 7.78
BB/9 3.58 2.76

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), CC Sabathia outpaces Tim Lincecum 43,212 to 28,769 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,161 vs 2,877 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tim Lincecum
28,769
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,877 per season (10 seasons)
CC Sabathia
43,212
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,161 per season (20 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Tim Lincecum — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20092.48 ERA15-7, 261 K in 225 IP
20082.62 ERA18-5, 265 K in 227 IP
20112.74 ERA13-14, 220 K in 217 IP

CC Sabathia — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20081.65 ERA11-2, 128 K in 130 IP
20113.00 ERA19-8, 230 K in 237 IP
20103.18 ERA21-7, 197 K in 237 IP

Verdict

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

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