Lou Gehrig vs Bill Terry: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Gehrig (1923–1939) and Bill Terry (1923–1936) — 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; Bill Terry finished with 2,193 hits and 154 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Lou Gehrig
Bill Terry
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lou Gehrig and Bill Terry. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Lou Gehrig | Bill Terry |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,164 | 1,721 |
| At-Bats | 8,001 | 6,428 |
| Runs | 1,888 | 1,120 |
| Hits | 2,721 | 2,193 |
| Doubles | 534 | 373 |
| Triples | 163 | 112 |
| Home Runs | 493 | 154 |
| RBI | 1,995 | 1,078 |
| Walks | 1,508 | 537 |
| Strikeouts | 790 | 449 |
| Stolen Bases | 102 | 56 |
| Batting Avg | .340 | .341 |
| On-Base % | .447 | .393 |
| Slugging % | .632 | .506 |
| OPS | 1.080 | .899 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lou Gehrig outpaces Bill Terry 81,072 to 27,771 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,769 vs 1,984 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
Bill Terry — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lou Gehrig leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Terry owns batting average. 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.