Lou Gehrig vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Gehrig (1923–1939) and Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Lou Gehrig finished with 2,721 hits and 493 home runs; Tony Lazzeri finished with 1,840 hits and 178 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Lou Gehrig
Tony Lazzeri
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Lou Gehrig | Tony Lazzeri |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,164 | 1,740 |
| At-Bats | 8,001 | 6,297 |
| Runs | 1,888 | 986 |
| Hits | 2,721 | 1,840 |
| Doubles | 534 | 334 |
| Triples | 163 | 115 |
| Home Runs | 493 | 178 |
| RBI | 1,995 | 1,191 |
| Walks | 1,508 | 869 |
| Strikeouts | 790 | 864 |
| Stolen Bases | 102 | 148 |
| Batting Avg | .340 | .292 |
| On-Base % | .447 | .380 |
| Slugging % | .632 | .467 |
| OPS | 1.080 | .846 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lou Gehrig outpaces Tony Lazzeri 81,072 to 19,403 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,769 vs 1,294 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Lou Gehrig — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tony Lazzeri — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lou Gehrig leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Tony Lazzeri owns stolen bases. 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.