Babe Ruth vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 as a hitter; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Ted Williams's 521.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Ted Williams's 1.116.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ted Williams, with .344 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Ted Williams's 2,654.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Ted Williams's 1,839.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Ted Williams's 96,302.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Ted Williams's 0.
Babe Ruth
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. 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 1910s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,503 | 2,292 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,398 | 7,706 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,798 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,873 | 2,654 |
| Doubles | 506 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | Leads: 136 | 71 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 521 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 1,839 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 2,021 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 123 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | .342 | Leads: .344 |
| On-Base % | .474 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .634 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | 1.116 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth leads Ted Williams 111,979 to 96,302 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 5,069, across 22 seasons to 19. 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).
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ted Williams owns batting average and OBP. 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.
Related Matchups
How the Babe Ruth and Ted Williams careers compare
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) was finished before Ted Williams (1939–1960) arrived, so they never shared a league. The two careers are close in length, 2,503 games for Babe Ruth and 2,292 for Ted Williams across 22 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Ted Williams comes out ahead, it is in doubles (525 to 506), batting average (.344 to .342), and on-base percentage (.482 to .474). Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts); Ted Williams walked more often than struck out (2,021 walks, 709 strikeouts). Babe Ruth was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Babe Ruth vs Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Ted Williams in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Ted Williams's 521.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Ted Williams's 1.116.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ted Williams, with .344 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Ted Williams's 2,654.