Joe Gordon vs Stan Musial: Career Stats Comparison
Stan Musial has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Joe Gordon played 1938–1950 as a hitter; Stan Musial played 1941–1963 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
Joe Gordon (1938–1950) and Stan Musial (1941–1963) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Joe Gordon finished with 1,530 hits and 253 home runs; Stan Musial finished with 3,630 hits and 475 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Stan Musial, with 475 to Joe Gordon's 253.
- Who had the higher OPS? Stan Musial, with .976 to Joe Gordon's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average? Stan Musial, with .331 to Joe Gordon's .268.
- Who had more hits? Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Joe Gordon's 1,530.
- Who drove in more runs? Stan Musial, with 1,951 to Joe Gordon's 975.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Joe Gordon's 18,128.
- Who won more championships? Joe Gordon, with 5 World Series titles to Stan Musial's 3.
Joe Gordon
Stan Musial
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe Gordon and Stan Musial. 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, and the 1930s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Joe Gordon | Stan Musial |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,566 | Leads: 3,026 |
| At-Bats | 5,707 | Leads: 10,972 |
| Runs | 914 | Leads: 1,949 |
| Hits | 1,530 | Leads: 3,630 |
| Doubles | 264 | Leads: 725 |
| Triples | 52 | Leads: 177 |
| Home Runs | 253 | Leads: 475 |
| RBI | 975 | Leads: 1,951 |
| Walks | 759 | Leads: 1,599 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 702 | 696 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 89 | 78 |
| Batting Avg | .268 | Leads: .331 |
| On-Base % | .357 | Leads: .417 |
| Slugging % | .466 | Leads: .559 |
| OPS | .822 | Leads: .976 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial outpaces Joe Gordon 83,624 to 18,128 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,801 PIV per season to 1,648, across 22 seasons to 11. 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).
Joe Gordon — top 3 seasons by OPS
Stan Musial — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Stan Musial leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Joe Gordon owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Stan Musial. PIV agrees: Stan Musial grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Joe Gordon and Stan Musial careers compare
The careers of Joe Gordon (1938–1950) and Stan Musial (1941–1963) overlapped from 1941 to 1950, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Joe Gordon appeared in 1,566 games to Stan Musial's 3,026. The green cells for Joe Gordon are stolen bases (89 to 78). Joe Gordon walked more often than struck out (759 walks, 702 strikeouts); Stan Musial walked more often than struck out (1,599 walks, 696 strikeouts). In slugging percentage, Stan Musial holds the edge, .559 to .466.
Joe Gordon vs Stan Musial: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Joe Gordon or Stan Musial?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Stan Musial leads Joe Gordon in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Joe Gordon or Stan Musial hit more home runs?
- Stan Musial, with 475 to Joe Gordon's 253.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Stan Musial, with .976 to Joe Gordon's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Stan Musial, with .331 to Joe Gordon's .268.
- Who had more hits?
- Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Joe Gordon's 1,530.