Sparky Lyle vs Wilbur Wood: Career Stats Comparison
Sparky Lyle (1967–1982) and Wilbur Wood (1961–1978) — both came up during the 1960s, so the matchup is a direct one. Sparky Lyle compiled 99 wins and 873 strikeouts; Wilbur Wood put up 164 wins and 1,411 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Sparky Lyle
Wilbur Wood
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 | Sparky Lyle | Wilbur Wood |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 99 | 164 |
| Losses | 76 | 156 |
| Games | 899 | 651 |
| Games Started | 0 | 297 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 114 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 24 |
| Saves | 238 | 57 |
| Strikeouts | 873 | 1,411 |
| Walks | 481 | 724 |
| Hits Allowed | 1,292 | 2,582 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 84 | 209 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,390 | 2,684 |
| ERA | 2.88 | 3.24 |
| WHIP | 1.28 | 1.23 |
| K/9 | 5.65 | 4.73 |
| BB/9 | 3.11 | 2.43 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sparky Lyle leads Wilbur Wood 16,426 to 13,866 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (913 vs 770 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).
Sparky Lyle — top 1 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Wilbur Wood — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Wilbur Wood leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched, while Sparky Lyle owns ERA and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Wilbur Wood. Note that PIV actually grades Sparky Lyle ahead, which means Wilbur Wood's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.