Vic Willis vs Cy Young: Career Stats Comparison
Cy Young has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Vic Willis played 1898–1910 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
Vic Willis (1898–1910) and Cy Young (1890–1911) — both came up during the 1890s, so the matchup is a direct one. Vic Willis finished with 249 wins and 1,651 strikeouts; Cy Young finished with 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? Neither — both are at 2.63.
- Who won more games? Cy Young, with 511 to Vic Willis's 249.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Cy Young, with 2,803 to Vic Willis's 1,651.
- Who had the better WHIP? Cy Young, with 1.13 to Vic Willis's 1.21.
- Who pitched more innings? Cy Young, with 7,356.0 to Vic Willis's 3,996.0.
- Who threw more shutouts? Cy Young, with 76 to Vic Willis's 50.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Cy Young, with 141,398 career Pitcher PIV to Vic Willis's 6,893.
Vic Willis
Cy Young
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.
| Statistic | Vic Willis | Cy Young |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 249 | Leads: 511 |
| Losses not scored | 205 | 315 |
| Games | 513 | Leads: 906 |
| Games Started | 471 | Leads: 815 |
| Complete Games | 388 | Leads: 749 |
| Shutouts | 50 | Leads: 76 |
| Saves | 11 | Leads: 18 |
| Strikeouts | 1,651 | Leads: 2,803 |
| Walks not scored | 1,212 | 1,217 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 3,621 | 7,092 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 66 | 138 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,996.0 | Leads: 7,356.0 |
| ERA | 2.63 | Leads: 2.63 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | Leads: 1.13 |
| K/9 | Leads: 3.72 | 3.43 |
| BB/9 | 2.73 | Leads: 1.49 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cy Young outpaces Vic Willis 141,398 to 6,893 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 6,148 PIV per season to 530, across 23 seasons to 13. 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).
Vic Willis — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Cy Young — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cy Young leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Vic Willis owns K/9. 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
How the Vic Willis and Cy Young careers compare
The careers of Vic Willis (1898–1910) and Cy Young (1890–1911) overlapped from 1898 to 1910, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Cy Young has the far longer record, 906 games against 513 across 13 and 23 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Vic Willis are strikeouts per nine (3.72 to 3.43). The per-nine rows read 3.72 strikeouts and 2.73 walks for Vic Willis, 3.43 and 1.49 for Cy Young. Both had the same role: Vic Willis was mainly a starter (471 starts in 513 games); Cy Young was mainly a starter (815 starts in 906 games).
Vic Willis vs Cy Young: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Vic Willis or Cy Young?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Cy Young leads Vic Willis in 11 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Neither — both are at 2.63.
- Who won more games?
- Cy Young, with 511 to Vic Willis's 249.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Cy Young, with 2,803 to Vic Willis's 1,651.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Cy Young, with 1.13 to Vic Willis's 1.21.