Babe Ruth vs Cy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Cy Williams (1912–1930) — both broke in during the 1910s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Cy Williams finished with 1,981 hits and 251 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Babe Ruth
Cy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Cy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Cy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,503 | 2,002 |
| At-Bats | 8,398 | 6,780 |
| Runs | 2,174 | 1,024 |
| Hits | 2,873 | 1,981 |
| Doubles | 506 | 306 |
| Triples | 136 | 74 |
| Home Runs | 714 | 251 |
| RBI | 2,217 | 1,005 |
| Walks | 2,062 | 690 |
| Strikeouts | 1,330 | 721 |
| Stolen Bases | 123 | 115 |
| Batting Avg | .342 | .292 |
| On-Base % | .474 | .365 |
| Slugging % | .690 | .470 |
| OPS | 1.164 | .835 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Cy Williams 111,979 to 24,595 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 vs 1,294 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).
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Cy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Cy Williams owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.