Juan Marichal vs Billy O'Dell: Career Stats Comparison
Juan Marichal has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Juan Marichal played 1960–1975 as a pitcher; Billy O'Dell played 1954–1967 as a pitcher.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
Juan Marichal (1960–1975) and Billy O'Dell (1954–1967) — breaking in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Juan Marichal finished with 243 wins and 2,303 strikeouts; Billy O'Dell finished with 105 wins and 1,133 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Juan Marichal, with 2.89 to Billy O'Dell's 3.29.
- Who won more games? Juan Marichal, with 243 to Billy O'Dell's 105.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Juan Marichal, with 2,303 to Billy O'Dell's 1,133.
- Who had the better WHIP? Juan Marichal, with 1.10 to Billy O'Dell's 1.24.
- Who pitched more innings? Juan Marichal, with 3,507.1 to Billy O'Dell's 1,817.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Juan Marichal, with 52 to Billy O'Dell's 13.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Juan Marichal, with 48,870 career Pitcher PIV to Billy O'Dell's 23,766.
Juan Marichal
Billy O'Dell
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. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Juan Marichal | Billy O'Dell |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 243 | 105 |
| Losses not scored | 142 | 100 |
| Games | 471 | Leads: 479 |
| Games Started | Leads: 457 | 199 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 244 | 63 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 52 | 13 |
| Saves | 2 | Leads: 48 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,303 | 1,133 |
| Walks not scored | 709 | 556 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 3,153 | 1,697 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 320 | 137 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 3,507.1 | 1,817.0 |
| ERA | Leads: 2.89 | 3.29 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.10 | 1.24 |
| K/9 | Leads: 5.91 | 5.61 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 1.82 | 2.75 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Juan Marichal outpaces Billy O'Dell 48,870 to 23,766 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,054 PIV per season to 1,698, across 16 seasons to 14. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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 by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Juan Marichal — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Billy O'Dell — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Juan Marichal leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Billy O'Dell owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Juan Marichal. PIV agrees: Juan Marichal grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Juan Marichal and Billy O'Dell careers compare
The careers of Juan Marichal (1960–1975) and Billy O'Dell (1954–1967) overlapped from 1960 to 1967, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 471 games against 479 across 16 and 14 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Where Billy O'Dell comes out ahead, it is in games (479 to 471) and saves (48 to 2). The per-nine rows read 5.91 strikeouts and 1.82 walks for Juan Marichal, 5.61 and 2.75 for Billy O'Dell. Their roles differ: Juan Marichal was mainly a starter (457 starts in 471 games); Billy O'Dell split time between starting and relief (199 starts in 479 games).
Juan Marichal vs Billy O'Dell: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Juan Marichal or Billy O'Dell?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Juan Marichal leads Billy O'Dell in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Juan Marichal, with 2.89 to Billy O'Dell's 3.29.
- Who won more games?
- Juan Marichal, with 243 to Billy O'Dell's 105.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Juan Marichal, with 2,303 to Billy O'Dell's 1,133.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Juan Marichal, with 1.10 to Billy O'Dell's 1.24.