Christy Mathewson vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Career Stats Comparison
Christy Mathewson 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). Christy Mathewson played 1900–1916 as a pitcher; Yoshinobu Yamamoto has played 2024–present 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
Christy Mathewson (1900–1916) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2024–present) — breaking in during the 1900s and the 2020s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Christy Mathewson finished with 373 wins and 2,507 strikeouts; Yoshinobu Yamamoto has 33 wins and 488 strikeouts through October 6, 2026. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Christy Mathewson, with 2.13 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 2.61.
- Who won more games? Christy Mathewson, with 373 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 33.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Christy Mathewson, with 2,507 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 488.
- Who had the better WHIP? Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 0.97 to Christy Mathewson's 1.06.
- Who pitched more innings? Christy Mathewson, with 4,788.2 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 448.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Christy Mathewson, with 79 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Christy Mathewson, with 82,446 career Pitcher PIV to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 8,844.
Christy Mathewson
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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 1900s and the 2020s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Christy Mathewson | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 373 | 33 |
| Losses not scored | 188 | 19 |
| Games | Leads: 636 | 76 |
| Games Started | Leads: 552 | 76 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 435 | 1 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 79 | 0 |
| Saves | Leads: 29 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,507 | 488 |
| Walks not scored | 848 | 123 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 4,219 | 310 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 90 | 41 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 4,788.2 | 448.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 2.13 | 2.61 |
| WHIP | 1.06 | Leads: 0.97 |
| K/9 | 4.71 | Leads: 9.79 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 1.59 | 2.47 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Christy Mathewson outpaces Yoshinobu Yamamoto 82,446 to 8,844 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,580 PIV per season to 4,422, across 18 seasons to 2. 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).
Christy Mathewson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto — top 2 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Christy Mathewson leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto owns WHIP and K/9. 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.
Related Matchups
How the Christy Mathewson and Yoshinobu Yamamoto careers compare
Christy Mathewson (1900–1916) was finished before Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2024–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Christy Mathewson has the far longer record, 636 games against 76 across 18 and 2 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Yoshinobu Yamamoto are WHIP (0.97 to 1.06) and strikeouts per nine (9.79 to 4.71). The per-nine rows read 4.71 strikeouts and 1.59 walks for Christy Mathewson, 9.79 and 2.47 for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Christy Mathewson was mainly a starter (552 starts in 636 games), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto was mainly a starter (76 starts in 76 games). The complete-game row, 435 against 1, reflects how much longer starters once stayed in games. Because Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Christy Mathewson vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Christy Mathewson or Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Christy Mathewson leads Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Christy Mathewson, with 2.13 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 2.61.
- Who won more games?
- Christy Mathewson, with 373 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 33.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Christy Mathewson, with 2,507 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 488.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 0.97 to Christy Mathewson's 1.06.