Earl Averill vs Lou Gehrig: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Gehrig has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Earl Averill played 1929–1941 as a hitter; Lou Gehrig played 1923–1939 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Earl Averill (1929–1941) and Lou Gehrig (1923–1939) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Earl Averill finished with 2,019 hits and 238 home runs; Lou Gehrig finished with 2,721 hits and 493 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Lou Gehrig, with 493 to Earl Averill's 238.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lou Gehrig, with 1.080 to Earl Averill's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lou Gehrig, with .340 to Earl Averill's .318.
- Who had more hits? Lou Gehrig, with 2,721 to Earl Averill's 2,019.
- Who drove in more runs? Lou Gehrig, with 1,995 to Earl Averill's 1,164.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lou Gehrig, with 81,072 career PIV to Earl Averill's 33,953.
- Who won more championships? Lou Gehrig, with 8 World Series titles to Earl Averill's 0.
Earl Averill
Lou Gehrig
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earl Averill and Lou Gehrig. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. 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 | Earl Averill | Lou Gehrig |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,668 | Leads: 2,164 |
| At-Bats | 6,353 | Leads: 8,001 |
| Runs | 1,224 | Leads: 1,888 |
| Hits | 2,019 | Leads: 2,721 |
| Doubles | 401 | Leads: 534 |
| Triples | 128 | Leads: 163 |
| Home Runs | 238 | Leads: 493 |
| RBI | 1,164 | Leads: 1,995 |
| Walks | 774 | Leads: 1,508 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 518 | 790 |
| Stolen Bases | 70 | Leads: 102 |
| Batting Avg | .318 | Leads: .340 |
| On-Base % | .395 | Leads: .447 |
| Slugging % | .534 | Leads: .632 |
| OPS | .928 | Leads: 1.080 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lou Gehrig outpaces Earl Averill 81,072 to 33,953 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,769 PIV per season to 2,425, across 17 seasons to 14. 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 OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Earl Averill — top 3 seasons by OPS
Lou Gehrig — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lou Gehrig leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Earl Averill owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Lou Gehrig. PIV agrees: Lou Gehrig grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Earl Averill and Lou Gehrig careers compare
The careers of Earl Averill (1929–1941) and Lou Gehrig (1923–1939) overlapped from 1929 to 1939, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,668 games against 2,164 across 14 and 17 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Lou Gehrig leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Earl Averill walked more often than struck out (774 walks, 518 strikeouts), and Lou Gehrig walked more often than struck out (1,508 walks, 790 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Lou Gehrig's hits: 238 of 2,019 for Earl Averill, 493 of 2,721 for Lou Gehrig.
Earl Averill vs Lou Gehrig: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earl Averill or Lou Gehrig?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lou Gehrig leads Earl Averill in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Earl Averill or Lou Gehrig hit more home runs?
- Lou Gehrig, with 493 to Earl Averill's 238.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lou Gehrig, with 1.080 to Earl Averill's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lou Gehrig, with .340 to Earl Averill's .318.
- Who had more hits?
- Lou Gehrig, with 2,721 to Earl Averill's 2,019.