Juan Marichal vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Juan Marichal and Willie Mays played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Juan Marichal played 1960–1975 as a pitcher; Willie Mays played 1951–1973 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Juan Marichal (1960–1975) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Juan Marichal pitched, totalling 243 wins and 2,303 strikeouts; Willie Mays hit, totalling 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Juan Marichal's 48,870.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Juan Marichal's 0.
Juan Marichal
Willie Mays
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Juan Marichal is shown on pitching lines and Willie Mays on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Juan Marichal — Pitcher
| Statistic | Juan Marichal |
|---|---|
| Wins | 243 |
| Losses | 142 |
| Games | 471 |
| Games Started | 457 |
| Complete Games | 244 |
| Shutouts | 52 |
| Saves | 2 |
| Strikeouts | 2,303 |
| Walks | 709 |
| Hits Allowed | 3,153 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 320 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,507.1 |
| ERA | 2.89 |
| WHIP | 1.10 |
| K/9 | 5.91 |
| BB/9 | 1.82 |
Willie Mays — Hitter
| Statistic | Willie Mays |
|---|---|
| Games | 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 10,924 |
| Runs | 2,068 |
| Hits | 3,293 |
| Doubles | 525 |
| Triples | 141 |
| Home Runs | 660 |
| RBI | 1,909 |
| Walks | 1,468 |
| Strikeouts | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 339 |
| Batting Avg | .301 |
| On-Base % | .384 |
| Slugging % | .557 |
| OPS | .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Juan Marichal carries a career pitching PIV of 48,870; Willie Mays carries a career batting PIV of 74,062. Willie Mays is the higher of the two at 74,062 to 48,870. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Juan Marichal — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Juan Marichal and Willie Mays: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Willie Mays grades higher, 74,062 to 48,870. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Juan Marichal and Willie Mays careers compare
Juan Marichal and Willie Mays were active at the same time between 1960 and 1973. As a pitcher, Juan Marichal went 243-142 with a 2.89 ERA and 2,303 strikeouts. As a hitter, Willie Mays collected 3,293 hits and 660 home runs with a .940 OPS. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, 2.10 ERA in 1969 for Juan Marichal and 1.078 OPS in 1954 for Willie Mays.
Juan Marichal vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Juan Marichal's 48,870.
- Who won more championships?
- Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Juan Marichal's 0.
- How do Juan Marichal and Willie Mays compare?
- Juan Marichal played 1960–1975 and Willie Mays played 1951–1973; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.