Jesse Orosco vs Duane Ward: Career Stats Comparison

Jesse Orosco (1979–2003) and Duane Ward (1986–1995) — breaking in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Jesse Orosco compiled 87 wins and 1,179 strikeouts; Duane Ward put up 32 wins and 679 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jesse Orosco

Pitcher · 1979–2003
Wins
87
Losses
80
Strikeouts
1,179
ERA
3.16
WHIP
1.26
IP
1,295
View Jesse Orosco's full profile →

Duane Ward

Pitcher · 1986–1995
Wins
32
Losses
37
Strikeouts
679
ERA
3.28
WHIP
1.26
IP
666
View Duane Ward'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 Jesse Orosco Duane Ward
Wins 87 32
Losses 80 37
Games 1,252 462
Games Started 4 2
Complete Games 0 0
Shutouts 0 0
Saves 144 121
Strikeouts 1,179 679
Walks 581 286
Hits Allowed 1,055 551
Home Runs Allowed 113 32
Innings Pitched 1,295 666
ERA 3.16 3.28
WHIP 1.26 1.26
K/9 8.19 9.17
BB/9 4.04 3.86

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Duane Ward leads Jesse Orosco 18,942 to 15,724 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,894 vs 605 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jesse Orosco
15,724
Career Pitcher PIV · 605 per season (26 seasons)
Duane Ward
18,942
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,894 per season (10 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jesse Orosco — top 0 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

Duane Ward — top 1 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19903.45 ERA2-8, 112 K in 127 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jesse Orosco leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Duane Ward owns WHIP and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jesse Orosco. Note that PIV actually grades Duane Ward ahead, which means Jesse Orosco's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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