Derek Lowe vs Andy Pettitte: Career Stats Comparison

Derek Lowe (1997–2013) and Andy Pettitte (1995–2013) — both came up during the 1990s, so the matchup is a direct one. Derek Lowe compiled 176 wins and 1,722 strikeouts; Andy Pettitte put up 256 wins and 2,448 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Derek Lowe

Pitcher · 1997–2013
Wins
176
Losses
157
Strikeouts
1,722
ERA
4.03
WHIP
1.33
IP
2,671
View Derek Lowe's full profile →

Andy Pettitte

Pitcher · 1995–2013
Wins
256
Losses
153
Strikeouts
2,448
ERA
3.85
WHIP
1.35
IP
3,316
View Andy Pettitte'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 Derek Lowe Andy Pettitte
Wins 176 256
Losses 157 153
Games 681 531
Games Started 377 521
Complete Games 10 26
Shutouts 4 4
Saves 86 0
Strikeouts 1,722 2,448
Walks 794 1,031
Hits Allowed 2,759 3,448
Home Runs Allowed 217 288
Innings Pitched 2,671 3,316
ERA 4.03 3.85
WHIP 1.33 1.35
K/9 5.80 6.64
BB/9 2.68 2.80

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Andy Pettitte outpaces Derek Lowe 57,293 to 35,122 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,183 vs 1,849 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Derek Lowe
35,122
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,849 per season (19 seasons)
Andy Pettitte
57,293
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,183 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Derek Lowe — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20022.58 ERA21-8, 127 K in 219 IP
20083.24 ERA14-11, 147 K in 211 IP
20053.61 ERA12-15, 146 K in 222 IP

Andy Pettitte — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20052.39 ERA17-9, 171 K in 222 IP
19972.88 ERA18-7, 166 K in 240 IP
20023.27 ERA13-5, 97 K in 134 IP

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era