Lou Gehrig
First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1923-1939)
Lou Gehrig was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1939 for the New York Yankees, a span of 17 seasons. In 2,164 career games, he hit .340 with 2,721 hits, 493 home runs, and 1,995 RBI. Lou Gehrig was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and was a 7-time All-Star, a 2-time MVP, and a Triple Crown. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 81,072.
- 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
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 200 lb
- Died
- 6/2/1941 in Bronx, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1923-06-15
- Last Game
- 1939-04-30
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1939 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 7× All-Star · 2× MVP · Triple Crown
Full name: Henry Louis Gehrig
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,164 | 8,001 | 1,888 | 2,721 | 534 | 163 | 493 | 1,995 | 102 | 1,508 | 790 | .340 | .447 | .632 | 1.080 | 81,072 |
Career AVG .340 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +21.1% above league average.
Career OBP .447 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — +30.1% above league average.
Career SLG .632 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — +59.2% above league average.
Career OPS 1.080 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — +45.7% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | NYA | AL | 13 | 26 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .423 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | NYA | AL | 10 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 126 | 437 | 73 | 129 | 23 | 10 | 20 | 68 | 6 | 46 | 49 | .295 | .288 (+2%) | .349 (+4%) | .407 (+30%) | .756 (+18%) | 1554.7 |
| 1926 | NYA | AL | 155 | 572 | 135 | 179 | 47 | 20 | 16 | 112 | 6 | 105 | 73 | .313 | .279 (+12%) | .345 (+22%) | .390 (+41%) | .735 (+32%) | 3953.8 |
| 1927 | NYA | AL | 155 | 584 | 149 | 218 | 52 | 18 | 47 | 175 | 10 | 109 | 84 | .373 | .282 (+32%) | .344 (+38%) | .392 (+95%) | .736 (+68%) | 8524.5 |
| 1928 | NYA | AL | 154 | 562 | 139 | 210 | 47 | 13 | 27 | 142 | 4 | 95 | 69 | .374 | .280 (+33%) | .342 (+37%) | .395 (+64%) | .737 (+51%) | 6324.4 |
| 1929 | NYA | AL | 154 | 553 | 127 | 166 | 32 | 10 | 35 | 126 | 4 | 122 | 68 | .300 | .289 (+4%) | .353 (+22%) | .415 (+41%) | .769 (+32%) | 4241.7 |
| 1930 | NYA | AL | 154 | 581 | 143 | 220 | 42 | 17 | 41 | 174 | 12 | 101 | 63 | .379 | .293 (+29%) | .354 (+33%) | .429 (+68%) | .784 (+52%) | 6969.3 |
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 155 | 619 | 163 | 211 | 31 | 15 | 46 | 184 | 17 | 117 | 56 | .341 | .276 (+23%) | .338 (+32%) | .388 (+71%) | .726 (+53%) | 7020.1 |
| 1932 | NYA | AL | 156 | 596 | 138 | 208 | 42 | 9 | 34 | 151 | 4 | 108 | 38 | .349 | .275 (+27%) | .335 (+35%) | .391 (+59%) | .726 (+48%) | 6259.7 |
| 1933 | NYA | AL | 152 | 593 | 138 | 198 | 41 | 12 | 32 | 139 | 9 | 92 | 42 | .334 | .270 (+24%) | .329 (+29%) | .377 (+60%) | .707 (+46%) | 5590.4 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 154 | 579 | 128 | 210 | 40 | 6 | 49 | 165 | 9 | 109 | 31 | .363 | .278 (+30%) | .340 (+37%) | .392 (+80%) | .733 (+60%) | 7564.1 |
| 1935 | NYA | AL | 149 | 535 | 125 | 176 | 26 | 10 | 30 | 119 | 8 | 132 | 38 | .329 | .279 (+18%) | .342 (+36%) | .399 (+46%) | .742 (+41%) | 5343.5 |
| 1936 | NYA | AL | 155 | 579 | 167 | 205 | 37 | 7 | 49 | 152 | 3 | 130 | 46 | .354 | .283 (+25%) | .349 (+37%) | .404 (+72%) | .753 (+56%) | 7476.1 |
| 1937 | NYA | AL | 157 | 569 | 138 | 200 | 37 | 9 | 37 | 159 | 4 | 127 | 49 | .351 | .276 (+27%) | .342 (+38%) | .398 (+62%) | .740 (+51%) | 6673.2 |
| 1938 | NYA | AL | 157 | 576 | 115 | 170 | 32 | 6 | 29 | 114 | 6 | 107 | 75 | .295 | .272 (+8%) | .341 (+20%) | .392 (+33%) | .734 (+27%) | 3576.4 |
| 1939 | NYA | AL | 8 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 2,164 | 8,001 | 1,888 | 2,721 | 534 | 163 | 493 | 1,995 | 102 | 1,508 | 790 | .340 | — | — | — | — | 81,072 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 119 | 30 | 43 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 35 | 26 | 17 | .361 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | WS | NYA | 4 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .286 |
| 1937 | WS | NYA | 5 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | .294 |
| 1936 | WS | NYA | 6 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | .292 |
| 1932 | WS | NYA | 4 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | .529 |
| 1928 | WS | NYA | 4 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 0 | .545 |
| 1927 | WS | NYA | 4 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | .308 |
| 1926 | WS | NYA | 7 | 23 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | .348 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2164 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1080 | 3861 | 882 | 1269 | 251 | 952 | .329 |
| Away | 1084 | 4140 | 1007 | 1452 | 242 | 1044 | .351 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-04-30 | NYY | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-04-29 | NYY | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-04-25 | NYY | PHA | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-04-24 | NYY | PHA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1939-04-23 | NYY | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-04-22 | NYY | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-04-21 | NYY | MIN | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939-04-20 | NYY | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-10-02 | NYY | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-10-01 | NYY | BOS | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2137 | 0 | 19510 | 1087 | 193 | 1575 |
| OF | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | NYA | 1B | 9 | 0 | 53 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 1924 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | NYA | 1B | 114 | 0 | 1126 | 53 | 13 | 72 |
| 1925 | NYA | OF | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1926 | NYA | 1B | 155 | 0 | 1566 | 73 | 15 | 87 |
| 1927 | NYA | 1B | 155 | 0 | 1662 | 88 | 15 | 108 |
| 1928 | NYA | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1488 | 79 | 18 | 112 |
| 1929 | NYA | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1458 | 82 | 9 | 135 |
| 1930 | NYA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1298 | 89 | 15 | 109 |
| 1930 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931 | NYA | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1352 | 58 | 13 | 120 |
| 1931 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1932 | NYA | 1B | 156 | 0 | 1293 | 75 | 18 | 101 |
| 1933 | NYA | 1B | 152 | 0 | 1290 | 64 | 9 | 102 |
| 1934 | NYA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1284 | 80 | 8 | 126 |
| 1934 | NYA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | NYA | 1B | 149 | 0 | 1337 | 82 | 15 | 96 |
| 1936 | NYA | 1B | 155 | 0 | 1377 | 82 | 9 | 128 |
| 1937 | NYA | 1B | 157 | 0 | 1370 | 74 | 16 | 113 |
| 1938 | NYA | 1B | 157 | 0 | 1483 | 100 | 14 | 157 |
| 1939 | NYA | 1B | 8 | 0 | 64 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2135 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 6 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1937 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1936 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1936 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1936 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1936 | TSN Guide MVP | |
| 1934 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1934 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1934 | TSN Guide MVP | |
| 1934 | Triple Crown | |
| 1931 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1931 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1931 | TSN Guide MVP | |
| 1930 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1928 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1928 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1927 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
| 1927 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1927 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | New York | NY | 1923 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 10.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1937 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 42.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1936 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 73.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1935 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 29.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1934 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 54.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1933 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 39.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 55.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 59.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1927 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 56.0 | 64 | 7 |
| 1926 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 7.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1925 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 2.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lou Gehrig (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Lou Gehrig
See Lou Gehrig in Another Era
Lou Gehrig: the record in brief
June 15, 1923 and April 30, 1939 bracket Lou Gehrig's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Gehrig spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the New York Yankees. The bio lists Gehrig as a first baseman who threw and hit left-handed. Gehrig is listed at 6'0" and 200 pounds. Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903, in New York, NY, USA. The bio records the death on June 2, 1941, in Bronx, NY, USA. On the record, Lou Gehrig was born Henry Louis Gehrig.
Across 2,164 games at the plate, Gehrig's career line reads 2,721 hits in 8,001 at bats for a .340 average, along with 493 homers, 1,995 runs batted in, and 102 stolen bases. Gehrig's career OPS of 1.080 combines a .447 on-base mark with .632 slugging. Measured against the leagues Gehrig played in, the .340 career average compares with a .281 league average over the same seasons, 21.1% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lou Gehrig
- What years did Lou Gehrig play?
- Lou Gehrig played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1939.
- Was Lou Gehrig a pitcher?
- No. Lou Gehrig was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lou Gehrig hit?
- Lou Gehrig hit 493 career home runs with 2721 hits.
- Is Lou Gehrig in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Lou Gehrig was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
- What was Lou Gehrig's career batting average?
- Lou Gehrig batted .340 over his career, with 2,721 hits in 8,001 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lou Gehrig have?
- Lou Gehrig drove in 1,995 runs in his career.