Jake Peavy vs Matt Thornton: Career Stats Comparison
Jake Peavy has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Jake Peavy played 2002–2016 as a pitcher; Matt Thornton played 2004–2016 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
Jake Peavy (2002–2016) and Matt Thornton (2004–2016) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. Jake Peavy finished with 152 wins and 2,207 strikeouts; Matt Thornton finished with 36 wins and 642 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Matt Thornton, with 3.41 to Jake Peavy's 3.63.
- Who won more games? Jake Peavy, with 152 to Matt Thornton's 36.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Jake Peavy, with 2,207 to Matt Thornton's 642.
- Who had the better WHIP? Jake Peavy, with 1.20 to Matt Thornton's 1.28.
- Who pitched more innings? Jake Peavy, with 2,377.0 to Matt Thornton's 662.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Jake Peavy, with 6 to Matt Thornton's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Jake Peavy, with 34,745 career Pitcher PIV to Matt Thornton's 12,976.
Jake Peavy
Matt Thornton
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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jake Peavy | Matt Thornton |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 152 | 36 |
| Losses not scored | 126 | 46 |
| Games | 388 | Leads: 748 |
| Games Started | Leads: 377 | 1 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 15 | 0 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 6 | 0 |
| Saves | 0 | Leads: 23 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 2,207 | 642 |
| Walks not scored | 708 | 251 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 2,134 | 594 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 259 | 52 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 2,377.0 | 662.2 |
| ERA | 3.63 | Leads: 3.41 |
| WHIP | Leads: 1.20 | 1.28 |
| K/9 | 8.36 | Leads: 8.72 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.68 | 3.41 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jake Peavy outpaces Matt Thornton 34,745 to 12,976 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,930 PIV per season to 865, across 18 seasons to 15. 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).
Jake Peavy — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Matt Thornton
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jake Peavy leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched, while Matt Thornton owns ERA and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jake Peavy. PIV agrees: Jake Peavy grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jake Peavy and Matt Thornton careers compare
The careers of Jake Peavy (2002–2016) and Matt Thornton (2004–2016) overlapped from 2004 to 2016, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Jake Peavy appeared in 388 games to Matt Thornton's 748. Matt Thornton's edges on the table are games (748 to 388), saves (23 to 0), and ERA (3.41 to 3.63). The per-nine rows read 8.36 strikeouts and 2.68 walks for Jake Peavy, 8.72 and 3.41 for Matt Thornton. Their roles differ: Jake Peavy was mainly a starter (377 starts in 388 games); Matt Thornton worked mostly in relief (1 starts in 748 games, 23 saves).
Jake Peavy vs Matt Thornton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jake Peavy or Matt Thornton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jake Peavy leads Matt Thornton in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Matt Thornton, with 3.41 to Jake Peavy's 3.63.
- Who won more games?
- Jake Peavy, with 152 to Matt Thornton's 36.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Jake Peavy, with 2,207 to Matt Thornton's 642.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Jake Peavy, with 1.20 to Matt Thornton's 1.28.