Red Ruffing vs Ed Walsh: Career Stats Comparison
Red Ruffing and Ed Walsh are close to even, splitting the 12 scored categories on this page 6–6 (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Red Ruffing played 1924–1947 as a pitcher; Ed Walsh played 1904–1917 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
Red Ruffing (1924–1947) and Ed Walsh (1904–1917) — breaking in during the 1920s and the 1900s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Red Ruffing finished with 273 wins and 1,987 strikeouts; Ed Walsh finished with 195 wins and 1,736 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Ed Walsh, with 1.82 to Red Ruffing's 3.80.
- Who won more games? Red Ruffing, with 273 to Ed Walsh's 195.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Red Ruffing, with 1,987 to Ed Walsh's 1,736.
- Who had the better WHIP? Ed Walsh, with 1.00 to Red Ruffing's 1.34.
- Who pitched more innings? Red Ruffing, with 4,344.0 to Ed Walsh's 2,964.1.
- Who threw more shutouts? Ed Walsh, with 57 to Red Ruffing's 45.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Ed Walsh, with 62,631 career Pitcher PIV to Red Ruffing's 17,432.
Red Ruffing
Ed Walsh
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 1920s and the 1900s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Red Ruffing | Ed Walsh |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 273 | 195 |
| Losses not scored | 225 | 126 |
| Games | Leads: 624 | 430 |
| Games Started | Leads: 536 | 315 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 335 | 250 |
| Shutouts | 45 | Leads: 57 |
| Saves | 16 | Leads: 35 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 1,987 | 1,736 |
| Walks not scored | 1,541 | 617 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 4,284 | 2,346 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 254 | 23 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 4,344.0 | 2,964.1 |
| ERA | 3.80 | Leads: 1.82 |
| WHIP | 1.34 | Leads: 1.00 |
| K/9 | 4.12 | Leads: 5.27 |
| BB/9 | 3.19 | Leads: 1.87 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ed Walsh outpaces Red Ruffing 62,631 to 17,432 — driven by per-season impact — 4,474 PIV per season to 758 — rather than by longevity, since Ed Walsh played 14 seasons to Red Ruffing'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).
Red Ruffing — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Ed Walsh — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ed Walsh leads in ERA, WHIP, and K/9, while Red Ruffing owns wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ed Walsh. PIV agrees: Ed Walsh grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Red Ruffing and Ed Walsh careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Ed Walsh's ended in 1917, and Red Ruffing debuted in 1924. With 624 games against 430 across 23 and 14 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The per-nine rows read 4.12 strikeouts and 3.19 walks for Red Ruffing, 5.27 and 1.87 for Ed Walsh. Red Ruffing was mainly a starter (536 starts in 624 games), and Ed Walsh was mainly a starter (315 starts in 430 games). In WHIP, Ed Walsh's 1.00 beats Red Ruffing's 1.34. On the peak-season lists, Red Ruffing's best year is 1939 at 2.93 ERA and Ed Walsh's is 1910 at 1.27 ERA; Ed Walsh has the stronger single season.
Red Ruffing vs Ed Walsh: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who had the better ERA?
- Ed Walsh, with 1.82 to Red Ruffing's 3.80.
- Who won more games?
- Red Ruffing, with 273 to Ed Walsh's 195.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Red Ruffing, with 1,987 to Ed Walsh's 1,736.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Ed Walsh, with 1.00 to Red Ruffing's 1.34.