Ernie Lombardi vs Stan Musial: Career Stats Comparison
Stan Musial has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ernie Lombardi played 1931–1947 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
Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) and Stan Musial (1941–1963) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ernie Lombardi finished with 1,792 hits and 190 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 Ernie Lombardi's 190.
- Who had the higher OPS? Stan Musial, with .976 to Ernie Lombardi's .818.
- Who had the higher batting average? Stan Musial, with .331 to Ernie Lombardi's .306.
- Who had more hits? Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.
- Who drove in more runs? Stan Musial, with 1,951 to Ernie Lombardi's 990.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Ernie Lombardi's 15,583.
- Who won more championships? Stan Musial, with 3 World Series titles to Ernie Lombardi's 1.
Ernie Lombardi
Stan Musial
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ernie Lombardi 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 | Ernie Lombardi | Stan Musial |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,853 | Leads: 3,026 |
| At-Bats | 5,855 | Leads: 10,972 |
| Runs | 601 | Leads: 1,949 |
| Hits | 1,792 | Leads: 3,630 |
| Doubles | 277 | Leads: 725 |
| Triples | 27 | Leads: 177 |
| Home Runs | 190 | Leads: 475 |
| RBI | 990 | Leads: 1,951 |
| Walks | 430 | Leads: 1,599 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 262 | 696 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | Leads: 78 |
| Batting Avg | .306 | Leads: .331 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .417 |
| Slugging % | .460 | Leads: .559 |
| OPS | .818 | Leads: .976 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial outpaces Ernie Lombardi 83,624 to 15,583 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,801 PIV per season to 917, across 22 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.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Ernie Lombardi — 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 Ernie Lombardi owns no headline categories. 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 Ernie Lombardi and Stan Musial careers compare
The careers of Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) and Stan Musial (1941–1963) overlapped from 1941 to 1947, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Stan Musial has the far longer record, 3,026 games against 1,853 across 17 and 22 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Every scored category on the table goes to Stan Musial. At the plate, Ernie Lombardi walked more often than struck out (430 walks, 262 strikeouts), and Stan Musial walked more often than struck out (1,599 walks, 696 strikeouts). Stan Musial owns the better peak by OPS: .918 OPS in 1935 for Ernie Lombardi against 1.152 OPS in 1948 for Stan Musial.
Ernie Lombardi vs Stan Musial: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ernie Lombardi or Stan Musial?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Stan Musial leads Ernie Lombardi in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ernie Lombardi or Stan Musial hit more home runs?
- Stan Musial, with 475 to Ernie Lombardi's 190.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Stan Musial, with .976 to Ernie Lombardi's .818.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Stan Musial, with .331 to Ernie Lombardi's .306.
- Who had more hits?
- Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.