David Price vs Justin Verlander: Career Stats Comparison
Justin Verlander has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). David Price played 2008–2022 as a pitcher; Justin Verlander has played 2005–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
David Price (2008–2022) and Justin Verlander (2005–present) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. David Price finished with 157 wins and 2,076 strikeouts; Justin Verlander has 266 wins and 3,560 strikeouts through October 12, 2026. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? David Price, with 3.32 to Justin Verlander's 3.33.
- Who won more games? Justin Verlander, with 266 to David Price's 157.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Justin Verlander, with 3,560 to David Price's 2,076.
- Who had the better WHIP? Justin Verlander, with 1.14 to David Price's 1.16.
- Who pitched more innings? Justin Verlander, with 3,576.2 to David Price's 2,143.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Justin Verlander, with 9 to David Price's 3.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Justin Verlander, with 68,171 career Pitcher PIV to David Price's 36,995.
David Price
Justin Verlander
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.
Justin Verlander is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.
| Statistic | David Price | Justin Verlander |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 157 | Leads: 266 |
| Losses not scored | 82 | 159 |
| Games | 400 | Leads: 557 |
| Games Started | 322 | Leads: 557 |
| Complete Games | 17 | Leads: 26 |
| Shutouts | 3 | Leads: 9 |
| Saves | Leads: 3 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | 2,076 | Leads: 3,560 |
| Walks not scored | 562 | 1,007 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,930 | 3,057 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 221 | 374 |
| Innings Pitched | 2,143.2 | Leads: 3,576.2 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.32 | 3.33 |
| WHIP | 1.16 | Leads: 1.14 |
| K/9 | 8.72 | Leads: 8.96 |
| BB/9 | Leads: 2.36 | 2.53 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Justin Verlander outpaces David Price 68,171 to 36,995 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,099 PIV per season to 2,312, across 22 seasons to 16. 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).
David Price — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Justin Verlander — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Justin Verlander leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/9, while David Price owns ERA. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Justin Verlander. PIV agrees: Justin Verlander grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the David Price and Justin Verlander careers compare
The careers of David Price (2008–2022) and Justin Verlander (2005–present) overlapped from 2008 to 2022, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 400 games for David Price and 557 for Justin Verlander across 16 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where David Price comes out ahead, it is in saves (3 to 0), ERA (3.32 to 3.33), and walks per nine (2.36 to 2.53). The per-nine rows read 8.72 strikeouts and 2.36 walks for David Price, 8.96 and 2.53 for Justin Verlander. Because Justin Verlander is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
David Price vs Justin Verlander: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, David Price or Justin Verlander?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Justin Verlander leads David Price in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- David Price, with 3.32 to Justin Verlander's 3.33.
- Who won more games?
- Justin Verlander, with 266 to David Price's 157.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Justin Verlander, with 3,560 to David Price's 2,076.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Justin Verlander, with 1.14 to David Price's 1.16.