Ernie Banks vs Bob Rush: Career Stats Comparison
Ernie Banks and Bob Rush played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Ernie Banks played 1953–1971 as a hitter; Bob Rush played 1948–1960 as a pitcher.
- 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
Ernie Banks (1953–1971) and Bob Rush (1948–1960) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Bob Rush pitched, totalling 127 wins and 1,244 strikeouts; Ernie Banks hit, totalling 2,583 hits and 512 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bob Rush, with 35,739 career PIV to Ernie Banks's 30,636.
Ernie Banks
Bob Rush
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Bob Rush is shown on pitching lines and Ernie Banks on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Ernie Banks — Hitter
| Statistic | Ernie Banks |
|---|---|
| Games | 2,528 |
| At-Bats | 9,421 |
| Runs | 1,305 |
| Hits | 2,583 |
| Doubles | 407 |
| Triples | 90 |
| Home Runs | 512 |
| RBI | 1,636 |
| Walks | 763 |
| Strikeouts | 1,236 |
| Stolen Bases | 50 |
| Batting Avg | .274 |
| On-Base % | .330 |
| Slugging % | .500 |
| OPS | .830 |
Bob Rush — Pitcher
| Statistic | Bob Rush |
|---|---|
| Wins | 127 |
| Losses | 152 |
| Games | 417 |
| Games Started | 321 |
| Complete Games | 118 |
| Shutouts | 16 |
| Saves | 8 |
| Strikeouts | 1,244 |
| Walks | 789 |
| Hits Allowed | 2,327 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 177 |
| Innings Pitched | 2,410.2 |
| ERA | 3.65 |
| WHIP | 1.29 |
| K/9 | 4.64 |
| BB/9 | 2.95 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Ernie Banks carries a career batting PIV of 30,636; Bob Rush carries a career pitching PIV of 35,739. Bob Rush is the higher of the two at 35,739 to 30,636. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
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 within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Ernie Banks — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bob Rush — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Bob Rush and Ernie Banks: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Bob Rush grades higher, 35,739 to 30,636. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ernie Banks and Bob Rush careers compare
The careers of Ernie Banks (1953–1971) and Bob Rush (1948–1960) overlapped from 1953 to 1960, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. As a hitter, Ernie Banks collected 2,583 hits and 512 home runs with a .830 OPS. Bob Rush's pitching card shows 127 wins, a 3.65 ERA and 1,244 strikeouts. Because one is a pitcher and the other a hitter, the page keeps their statistics in separate tables and uses PIV as the shared yardstick. Their best seasons are measured differently, .980 OPS in 1958 for Ernie Banks and 2.70 ERA in 1952 for Bob Rush.
Ernie Banks vs Bob Rush: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Bob Rush, with 35,739 career PIV to Ernie Banks's 30,636.
- How do Ernie Banks and Bob Rush compare?
- Ernie Banks played 1953–1971 and Bob Rush played 1948–1960; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.