Gabby Hartnett vs Ernie Lombardi: Career Stats Comparison

Gabby Hartnett 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). Gabby Hartnett played 1922–1941 as a hitter; Ernie Lombardi played 1931–1947 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

Gabby Hartnett (1922–1941) and Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Gabby Hartnett finished with 1,912 hits and 236 home runs; Ernie Lombardi finished with 1,792 hits and 190 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Gabby Hartnett, with 236 to Ernie Lombardi's 190.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Gabby Hartnett, with .858 to Ernie Lombardi's .818.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Ernie Lombardi, with .306 to Gabby Hartnett's .297.
  • Who had more hits? Gabby Hartnett, with 1,912 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.
  • Who drove in more runs? Gabby Hartnett, with 1,179 to Ernie Lombardi's 990.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Gabby Hartnett, with 20,627 career PIV to Ernie Lombardi's 15,583.
  • Who won more championships? Ernie Lombardi, with 1 World Series title to Gabby Hartnett's 0.
Leads Gabby Hartnett 13 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Gabby Hartnett +5,044
Read the verdict ↓

Gabby Hartnett

Hitter · 1922–1941
Games
1,990
Hits
1,912
Home Runs
236
RBI
1,179
Avg
.297
OPS
.858
View Gabby Hartnett's full profile →

Ernie Lombardi

Hitter · 1931–1947
Games
1,853
Hits
1,792
Home Runs
190
RBI
990
Avg
.306
OPS
.818
View Ernie Lombardi's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi. 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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Gabby Hartnett vs Ernie Lombardi: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Gabby Hartnett Ernie Lombardi
Games Leads: 1,990 1,853
At-Bats Leads: 6,432 5,855
Runs Leads: 867 601
Hits Leads: 1,912 1,792
Doubles Leads: 396 277
Triples Leads: 64 27
Home Runs Leads: 236 190
RBI Leads: 1,179 990
Walks Leads: 703 430
Strikeouts not scored 697 262
Stolen Bases Leads: 28 8
Batting Avg .297 Leads: .306
On-Base % Leads: .370 .358
Slugging % Leads: .489 .460
OPS Leads: .858 .818

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gabby Hartnett leads Ernie Lombardi 20,627 to 15,583 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,031 PIV per season to 917, across 20 seasons to 17. 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.

Gabby Hartnett
20,627
Career PIV · 1,031 per season (20 seasons)
Ernie Lombardi
15,583
Career PIV · 917 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Gabby Hartnett — top 3 seasons by OPS

19301.034 OPS37 HR, 122 RBI, .339 avg
1937.971 OPS12 HR, 82 RBI, .354 avg
1935.949 OPS13 HR, 91 RBI, .344 avg

Ernie Lombardi — top 3 seasons by OPS

1935.918 OPS12 HR, 64 RBI, .343 avg
1938.915 OPS19 HR, 95 RBI, .342 avg
1942.886 OPS11 HR, 46 RBI, .330 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Gabby Hartnett leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ernie Lombardi owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Gabby Hartnett. PIV agrees: Gabby Hartnett grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi careers compare

The careers of Gabby Hartnett (1922–1941) and Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) overlapped from 1931 to 1941, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,990 games for Gabby Hartnett and 1,853 for Ernie Lombardi across 20 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Ernie Lombardi comes out ahead, it is in batting average (.306 to .297). At the plate, Gabby Hartnett walked more often than struck out (703 walks, 697 strikeouts), and Ernie Lombardi walked more often than struck out (430 walks, 262 strikeouts). In slugging percentage, Gabby Hartnett holds the edge, .489 to .460.

Gabby Hartnett vs Ernie Lombardi: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Gabby Hartnett or Ernie Lombardi?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Gabby Hartnett leads Ernie Lombardi in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Gabby Hartnett or Ernie Lombardi hit more home runs?
Gabby Hartnett, with 236 to Ernie Lombardi's 190.
Who had the higher OPS?
Gabby Hartnett, with .858 to Ernie Lombardi's .818.
Who had the higher batting average?
Ernie Lombardi, with .306 to Gabby Hartnett's .297.
Who had more hits?
Gabby Hartnett, with 1,912 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.