Ernie Lombardi vs Pee Wee Reese: Career Stats Comparison
Pee Wee Reese has the better career line of the two, leading 9 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; Pee Wee Reese played 1940–1958 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 Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) — 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; Pee Wee Reese finished with 2,170 hits and 126 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ernie Lombardi, with 190 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ernie Lombardi, with .818 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ernie Lombardi, with .306 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.
- Who drove in more runs? Ernie Lombardi, with 990 to Pee Wee Reese's 885.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ernie Lombardi, with 15,583 career PIV to Pee Wee Reese's 10,057.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Ernie Lombardi
Pee Wee Reese
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ernie Lombardi and Pee Wee Reese. 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 | Pee Wee Reese |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,853 | Leads: 2,166 |
| At-Bats | 5,855 | Leads: 8,058 |
| Runs | 601 | Leads: 1,338 |
| Hits | 1,792 | Leads: 2,170 |
| Doubles | 277 | Leads: 330 |
| Triples | 27 | Leads: 80 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 190 | 126 |
| RBI | Leads: 990 | 885 |
| Walks | 430 | Leads: 1,210 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 262 | 890 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | Leads: 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .306 | .269 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .366 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .460 | .377 |
| OPS | Leads: .818 | .743 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ernie Lombardi outpaces Pee Wee Reese 15,583 to 10,057 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 917 PIV per season to 629, across 17 seasons to 16. 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
Pee Wee Reese — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ernie Lombardi leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, while Pee Wee Reese owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ernie Lombardi. PIV agrees: Ernie Lombardi 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 Pee Wee Reese careers compare
The careers of Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) and Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) overlapped from 1940 to 1947, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,853 games for Ernie Lombardi and 2,166 for Pee Wee Reese across 17 and 16 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Ernie Lombardi walked more often than struck out (430 walks, 262 strikeouts), and Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Ernie Lombardi's hits: 190 of 1,792 for Ernie Lombardi, 126 of 2,170 for Pee Wee Reese.
Ernie Lombardi vs Pee Wee Reese: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ernie Lombardi or Pee Wee Reese?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Pee Wee Reese leads Ernie Lombardi in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ernie Lombardi or Pee Wee Reese hit more home runs?
- Ernie Lombardi, with 190 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ernie Lombardi, with .818 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ernie Lombardi, with .306 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Ernie Lombardi's 1,792.