Christy Mathewson vs Deacon Phillippe: Career Stats Comparison

Christy Mathewson (1900–1916) and Deacon Phillippe (1899–1911) — breaking in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Christy Mathewson compiled 373 wins and 2,507 strikeouts; Deacon Phillippe put up 189 wins and 929 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Christy Mathewson

Pitcher · 1900–1916
Wins
373
Losses
188
Strikeouts
2,507
ERA
2.13
WHIP
1.06
IP
4,788
View Christy Mathewson's full profile →

Deacon Phillippe

Pitcher · 1899–1911
Wins
189
Losses
109
Strikeouts
929
ERA
2.59
WHIP
1.11
IP
2,607
View Deacon Phillippe'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 Christy Mathewson Deacon Phillippe
Wins 373 189
Losses 188 109
Games 636 372
Games Started 552 289
Complete Games 435 242
Shutouts 79 27
Saves 29 12
Strikeouts 2,507 929
Walks 848 363
Hits Allowed 4,219 2,518
Home Runs Allowed 90 41
Innings Pitched 4,788 2,607
ERA 2.13 2.59
WHIP 1.06 1.11
K/9 4.71 3.21
BB/9 1.59 1.25

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Christy Mathewson outpaces Deacon Phillippe 82,446 to 35,866 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,580 vs 2,759 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Christy Mathewson
82,446
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,580 per season (18 seasons)
Deacon Phillippe
35,866
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,759 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Christy Mathewson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19091.14 ERA25-6, 149 K in 275 IP
19051.28 ERA31-9, 206 K in 338 IP
19081.43 ERA37-11, 259 K in 390 IP

Deacon Phillippe — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19022.05 ERA20-9, 122 K in 272 IP
19052.19 ERA20-13, 133 K in 279 IP
19012.22 ERA22-12, 103 K in 296 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Christy Mathewson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Deacon Phillippe owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Christy Mathewson. PIV agrees: Christy Mathewson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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