Mickey Lolich vs Tom Seaver: Career Stats Comparison

Mickey Lolich (1963–1979) and Tom Seaver (1967–1986) — both came up during the 1960s, so the matchup is a direct one. Mickey Lolich compiled 217 wins and 2,832 strikeouts; Tom Seaver put up 311 wins and 3,640 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Mickey Lolich

Pitcher · 1963–1979
Wins
217
Losses
191
Strikeouts
2,832
ERA
3.44
WHIP
1.23
IP
3,638
View Mickey Lolich's full profile →

Tom Seaver

Pitcher · 1967–1986
Wins
311
Losses
205
Strikeouts
3,640
ERA
2.86
WHIP
1.12
IP
4,782
View Tom Seaver'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 Mickey Lolich Tom Seaver
Wins 217 311
Losses 191 205
Games 586 656
Games Started 496 647
Complete Games 195 231
Shutouts 41 61
Saves 11 1
Strikeouts 2,832 3,640
Walks 1,099 1,390
Hits Allowed 3,366 3,971
Home Runs Allowed 347 380
Innings Pitched 3,638 4,782
ERA 3.44 2.86
WHIP 1.23 1.12
K/9 7.01 6.85
BB/9 2.72 2.62

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tom Seaver outpaces Mickey Lolich 79,192 to 32,209 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,600 vs 2,013 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Mickey Lolich
32,209
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,013 per season (16 seasons)
Tom Seaver
79,192
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,600 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Mickey Lolich — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19722.50 ERA22-14, 250 K in 327 IP
19712.92 ERA25-14, 308 K in 376 IP
19673.04 ERA14-13, 174 K in 204 IP

Tom Seaver — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19711.76 ERA20-10, 289 K in 286 IP
19732.08 ERA19-10, 251 K in 290 IP
19682.20 ERA16-12, 205 K in 277 IP

Verdict

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

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