Deacon Phillippe vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison

Cy Young has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 statistical categories compared on this page. Deacon Phillippe played 1899–1911 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

Deacon Phillippe (1899–1911) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — both came up during the 1890s, so the matchup is a direct one. Deacon Phillippe compiled 189 wins and 929 strikeouts; Cy Young put up 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? Deacon Phillippe, with 2.59 to Cy Young's 2.63.
  • Who won more games? Cy Young, with 511 to Deacon Phillippe's 189.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Cy Young, with 2,803 to Deacon Phillippe's 929.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Deacon Phillippe, with 1.11 to Cy Young's 1.13.
  • Who pitched more innings? Cy Young, with 7,356 to Deacon Phillippe's 2,607.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Cy Young, with 76 to Deacon Phillippe's 27.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Cy Young, with 141,398 career Pitcher PIV to Deacon Phillippe's 35,866.
Leads Cy Young 9 of 12 awarded categories
Pitcher PIV edge Cy Young +105,532
Read the verdict ↓

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 →

Cy Young

Pitcher · 1890–1911
Wins
511
Losses
315
Strikeouts
2,803
ERA
2.63
WHIP
1.13
IP
7,356
View Cy Young'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. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 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: compare them with the era in mind, or use the PIV card below, which is.

Deacon Phillippe vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Deacon Phillippe Cy Young
Wins 189 Leads: 511
Losses 109 315
Games 372 Leads: 906
Games Started 289 Leads: 815
Complete Games 242 Leads: 749
Shutouts 27 Leads: 76
Saves 12 Leads: 18
Strikeouts 929 Leads: 2,803
Walks 363 1,217
Hits Allowed 2,518 7,092
Home Runs Allowed 41 138
Innings Pitched 2,607 Leads: 7,356
ERA Leads: 2.59 2.63
WHIP Leads: 1.11 1.13
K/9 3.21 Leads: 3.43
BB/9 Leads: 1.25 1.49

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Deacon Phillippe 141,398 to 35,866 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (6,148 vs 2,759 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Deacon Phillippe
35,866
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,759 per season (13 seasons)
Cy Young
141,398
Career Pitcher PIV · 6,148 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

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

Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19081.26 ERA21-11, 150 K in 299 IP
19011.62 ERA33-10, 158 K in 371 IP
19051.82 ERA18-19, 210 K in 320 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Cy Young leads in wins, strikeouts, K/9, and innings pitched, while Deacon Phillippe owns ERA and WHIP. 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

Deacon Phillippe vs Cy Young: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Deacon Phillippe or Cy Young?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Cy Young leads Deacon Phillippe in 9 of 12 categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Deacon Phillippe, with 2.59 to Cy Young's 2.63.
Who won more games?
Cy Young, with 511 to Deacon Phillippe's 189.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Cy Young, with 2,803 to Deacon Phillippe's 929.
Who had the better WHIP?
Deacon Phillippe, with 1.11 to Cy Young's 1.13.

See These Players in Another Era