Jerry Reuss vs Don Sutton: Career Stats Comparison

Jerry Reuss (1969–1990) and Don Sutton (1966–1988) — both came up during the 1960s, so the matchup is a direct one. Jerry Reuss compiled 220 wins and 1,907 strikeouts; Don Sutton put up 324 wins and 3,574 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jerry Reuss

Pitcher · 1969–1990
Wins
220
Losses
191
Strikeouts
1,907
ERA
3.64
WHIP
1.32
IP
3,669
View Jerry Reuss's full profile →

Don Sutton

Pitcher · 1966–1988
Wins
324
Losses
256
Strikeouts
3,574
ERA
3.26
WHIP
1.14
IP
5,282
View Don Sutton'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 Jerry Reuss Don Sutton
Wins 220 324
Losses 191 256
Games 628 774
Games Started 547 756
Complete Games 127 178
Shutouts 39 58
Saves 11 5
Strikeouts 1,907 3,574
Walks 1,127 1,343
Hits Allowed 3,734 4,692
Home Runs Allowed 245 472
Innings Pitched 3,669 5,282
ERA 3.64 3.26
WHIP 1.32 1.14
K/9 4.68 6.09
BB/9 2.76 2.29

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Don Sutton outpaces Jerry Reuss 63,310 to 29,536 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,532 vs 1,181 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jerry Reuss
29,536
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,181 per season (25 seasons)
Don Sutton
63,310
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,532 per season (25 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jerry Reuss — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19812.30 ERA10-4, 51 K in 152 IP
19802.51 ERA18-6, 111 K in 229 IP
19752.54 ERA18-11, 131 K in 237 IP

Don Sutton — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19722.08 ERA19-9, 207 K in 272 IP
19802.20 ERA13-5, 128 K in 212 IP
19732.42 ERA18-10, 200 K in 256 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Don Sutton leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jerry Reuss owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Don Sutton. PIV agrees: Don Sutton grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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