Herb Pennock vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison
Cy Young has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Herb Pennock played 1912–1934 as a pitcher; Cy Young played 1890–1911 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
Herb Pennock (1912–1934) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — breaking in during the 1910s and the 1890s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Herb Pennock finished with 240 wins and 1,227 strikeouts; Cy Young finished with 511 wins and 2,803 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Cy Young, with 2.63 to Herb Pennock's 3.60.
- Who won more games? Cy Young, with 511 to Herb Pennock's 240.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Cy Young, with 2,803 to Herb Pennock's 1,227.
- Who had the better WHIP? Cy Young, with 1.13 to Herb Pennock's 1.35.
- Who pitched more innings? Cy Young, with 7,356.0 to Herb Pennock's 3,571.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Cy Young, with 76 to Herb Pennock's 35.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Cy Young, with 141,398 career Pitcher PIV to Herb Pennock's 29,181.
Herb Pennock
Cy Young
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 1910s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Herb Pennock | Cy Young |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 240 | Leads: 511 |
| Losses not scored | 162 | 315 |
| Games | 617 | Leads: 906 |
| Games Started | 420 | Leads: 815 |
| Complete Games | 247 | Leads: 749 |
| Shutouts | 35 | Leads: 76 |
| Saves | Leads: 32 | 18 |
| Strikeouts | 1,227 | Leads: 2,803 |
| Walks not scored | 916 | 1,217 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 3,900 | 7,092 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 128 | 138 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,571.2 | Leads: 7,356.0 |
| ERA | 3.60 | Leads: 2.63 |
| WHIP | 1.35 | Leads: 1.13 |
| K/9 | 3.09 | Leads: 3.43 |
| BB/9 | 2.31 | Leads: 1.49 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Herb Pennock 141,398 to 29,181 — driven by per-season impact — 6,148 PIV per season to 1,269 — rather than by longevity, since Cy Young played 23 seasons to Herb Pennock's 23. 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).
Herb Pennock — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cy Young leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Herb Pennock owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cy Young. PIV agrees: Cy Young grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Herb Pennock and Cy Young careers compare
Cy Young (1890–1911) was finished before Herb Pennock (1912–1934) arrived, so they never shared a league. The two careers are close in length, 617 games for Herb Pennock and 906 for Cy Young across 23 and 23 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Herb Pennock are saves (32 to 18). By rate, Herb Pennock struck out 3.09 and walked 2.31 per nine innings; Cy Young struck out 3.43 and walked 1.49. Their roles differ: Herb Pennock split time between starting and relief (420 starts in 617 games); Cy Young was mainly a starter (815 starts in 906 games).
Herb Pennock vs Cy Young: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Herb Pennock or Cy Young?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Cy Young leads Herb Pennock in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Cy Young, with 2.63 to Herb Pennock's 3.60.
- Who won more games?
- Cy Young, with 511 to Herb Pennock's 240.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Cy Young, with 2,803 to Herb Pennock's 1,227.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Cy Young, with 1.13 to Herb Pennock's 1.35.