Johan Santana vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Career Stats Comparison
Johan Santana has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Johan Santana played 2000–2012 as a pitcher; Yoshinobu Yamamoto has played 2024–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
Johan Santana (2000–2012) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2024–present) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 2020s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Johan Santana finished with 139 wins and 1,988 strikeouts; Yoshinobu Yamamoto has 33 wins and 488 strikeouts through October 12, 2026. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 2.61 to Johan Santana's 3.20.
- Who won more games? Johan Santana, with 139 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 33.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Johan Santana, with 1,988 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 488.
- Who had the better WHIP? Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 0.97 to Johan Santana's 1.13.
- Who pitched more innings? Johan Santana, with 2,025.2 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 448.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Johan Santana, with 10 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Johan Santana, with 48,732 career Pitcher PIV to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 8,844.
Johan Santana
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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 2000s and the 2020s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.
| Statistic | Johan Santana | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Leads: 139 | 33 |
| Losses not scored | 78 | 19 |
| Games | Leads: 360 | 76 |
| Games Started | Leads: 284 | 76 |
| Complete Games | Leads: 15 | 1 |
| Shutouts | Leads: 10 | 0 |
| Saves | Leads: 1 | 0 |
| Strikeouts | Leads: 1,988 | 488 |
| Walks not scored | 567 | 123 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 1,726 | 310 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 220 | 41 |
| Innings Pitched | Leads: 2,025.2 | 448.2 |
| ERA | 3.20 | Leads: 2.61 |
| WHIP | 1.13 | Leads: 0.97 |
| K/9 | 8.83 | Leads: 9.79 |
| BB/9 | 2.52 | Leads: 2.47 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Johan Santana outpaces Yoshinobu Yamamoto 48,732 to 8,844 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Johan Santana played 12 seasons to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 2, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto carries the higher per-season figure (4,422 to 4,061). 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).
Johan Santana — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto — top 2 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Johan Santana leads in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto owns ERA, WHIP, and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Johan Santana. PIV agrees: Johan Santana grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Johan Santana and Yoshinobu Yamamoto careers compare
Johan Santana (2000–2012) was finished before Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2024–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Johan Santana appeared in 360 games to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 76. Where Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes out ahead, it is in ERA (2.61 to 3.20), WHIP (0.97 to 1.13), and strikeouts per nine (9.79 to 8.83). The per-nine rows read 8.83 strikeouts and 2.52 walks for Johan Santana, 9.79 and 2.47 for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Both had the same role: Johan Santana was mainly a starter (284 starts in 360 games); Yoshinobu Yamamoto was mainly a starter (76 starts in 76 games). Yoshinobu Yamamoto's numbers are live and update with each game, so the comparison is a snapshot.
Johan Santana vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johan Santana or Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Johan Santana leads Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 2.61 to Johan Santana's 3.20.
- Who won more games?
- Johan Santana, with 139 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 33.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Johan Santana, with 1,988 to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 488.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 0.97 to Johan Santana's 1.13.