Greg Maddux vs Jose Rijo: Career Stats Comparison

Greg Maddux (1986–2008) and Jose Rijo (1984–2002) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Greg Maddux compiled 355 wins and 3,371 strikeouts; Jose Rijo put up 116 wins and 1,606 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Greg Maddux

Pitcher · 1986–2008
Wins
355
Losses
227
Strikeouts
3,371
ERA
3.16
WHIP
1.14
IP
5,008
View Greg Maddux'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 Greg Maddux Jose Rijo
Wins 355 116
Losses 227 91
Games 744 376
Games Started 740 269
Complete Games 109 22
Shutouts 35 4
Saves 0 3
Strikeouts 3,371 1,606
Walks 999 663
Hits Allowed 4,726 1,710
Home Runs Allowed 353 147
Innings Pitched 5,008 1,880
ERA 3.16 3.24
WHIP 1.14 1.26
K/9 6.06 7.69
BB/9 1.80 3.17

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Greg Maddux outpaces Jose Rijo 133,509 to 35,808 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,340 vs 2,558 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Greg Maddux
133,509
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,340 per season (25 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).

Greg Maddux — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19941.56 ERA16-6, 156 K in 202 IP
19951.63 ERA19-2, 181 K in 209 IP
19922.18 ERA20-11, 199 K in 268 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, Greg Maddux leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jose Rijo owns K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Greg Maddux. PIV agrees: Greg Maddux grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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