Babe Ruth, elite athlete who looked ordinary

[@thebaseballprofessor]

The Babe is wearing a righthanded catcher's mitt. Many viewers have noted my error in the comments. I mistakenly thought he had glove on his right hand.

[@DesertMike]

I remember about 30 years ago a sports writer stated that Ruth would only hit .250 facing the current pitchers. This angered another writer saying Ruth had a career BA of .342 and hit 714 HR. The first writer said you got to understand, he’d be 95 years old.

[@dawoool]

Imagine a guy with Ruth's natural gifts today who used modern nutrition and training know-how.

[@TheBatugan77]

Ruth understood the game as a pitcher and a slugger. He'd do find in today's game... as either/or.

[@subg8858]

That was Ty Cobb who said that. Someone asked him what he thought he wilould hit in today’s game. He said about .270. And he asked why, advent of slider? Greater velocity? No. Because I’m 70 years okd

[@snerdterguson]

I believe when Cobb said it, he added at least one word that started with F. Lol

[@dawoool]

@@snerdterguson He was not genteel.

[@syourke3]

His parents put him up for adoption when he was seven years old because he was troublesome kid. How much trouble can a seven year old kid get into? I mean seriously. What could he have done that was so terrible, so incorrigible? He later said that his mother never came to visit him at the orphanage - not once! That is really terrible. Poor little kid.

[@TheBatugan77]

Yep. He said he was too big and ugly to get visitors. His parents sucked. Odd thing is, he must've reconciled with his Dad, because he tended bar in Dad's saloon while he was already a big leaguer. The two George Ruth's looked startlingly alike.

[@syourke3]

@@TheBatugan77 He was the spitting image of his father. Still, I think its appalling that they dumped him out when he was seven years old.

[@theodoremodrowski7896]

You h

[@beastmode7013]

if it wont for his parents doing that he may of never played base all fuck his pos parents

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

Ah man. That wasn't good. Are there any pics of his Mom? I see a couple comments down someone mentioned Babe and his dad looked alike, wonder about his Mom?

[@jeremymozlin]

The footage of him comforting that boy and then cheering him on is so heartening. Thank you for posting this.

[@joelboeckmann7426]

Hey man, these videos are great. Well produced, and your narrating is perfect. Keep it up!

[@jacksmith5692]

As a Yankee he only hit .349 with 659 homers in 15 years and what most don't realize is after his disaster 1925 when he was suspected of having VD and only hitting .290 with 25 homers, he was 30 and at a crossroads. He could continue to fall or he could get his act together. Well from 1926 to 1932 at age 31 to 37, Ruth hit 343 homers in 7 years or 49 a year in a 154 game schedule. He only hit 41 homers in 1932 playing in 133 games so from 1926 to 1931 he hit 302 homers or over 50 a year. Then was Babe Ruth clutch? First he set a WS record with 29.67 scoreless innings as a Red Sox pitcher in 1916 and 1918 allowing a run in the first in 1916 and then throwing 13 scoreless innings winning in the 14th inning. In 1918 he threw a complete game shutout and then 4 days later started again and threw 7 score less innings before the Cubs scored 2 in the 8th. He won all 3 of his WS Starts going 3-0 with a 0.87 era throwing 31 innings in 3 starts! Then in the 1923, 26, 27, 28, and 32 WS he won 4 of the 5 series and over 85 at bats had 34 hits for a .400 average with 14 homers and 25 ribbies. Look at those obscene numbers in the World Series as a pitcher and hitter! In 10 World Series, he won 7 times! Nobody was close to Babe Ruth and he had years where he out homered all the teams save a few.

[@snerdterguson]

Lol, the closest thing to Ruth at the time was the guy batting behind him in the lineup. We will never see a one two punch like Ruth/Gehrig ever again.

[@jacksmith5692]

@@snerdterguson Very true, their numbers were amazing. Occasionally they would ask DiMaggio what Gehrig was like and I'd love that to get a small flavor on Lou. The Yankees were scum, first they didn't give the Babe a job and then they didn't give Lou a job when he was dying and we wonder why the players make what they make today. The utter abuse of the players led to Marvin Miller in 1966 and today the most powerful union in sports.

[@username-zj9id]

@@snerdterguson you could make the argument that the 2 greatest hitters of all time played for the same team, at the same time, and hit back to back in time batting order. I mean what are the odds.

[@jacksmith5692]

@@username-zj9id I always thought how did Gehrig drive in so many runs when Ruth was driving in a run every 3.79 at bats? Can you imagine the Yankees on base average in those years and they had 1000+ run teams in 30 to 32 if I remember. Over 1000 runs in 154 games. Almost 7 runs a game!

[@username-zj9id]

@@jacksmith5692 yeah, it's nuts. Ruth and Gehrig had several seasons where they had 300+ RBI between them. An insane number for 2 guys

[@stk6mkt]

The most gifted baseball player in the history of the game; the babe was a freak talent. If he would have taken care of his body, and stayed in shape, his numbers would have been absolutely incredible.

[@Ease54]

...incredibler...

[@mikea5205]

We no longer have Ruth but we do have Shohei Ohtani.

[@thomasryan5736]

One of the results of Yankee Stadium, the house that Ruth built, was the introduction of uniform numbers. Fans were too far away to be able to identify players. Everyone knew Babe but who were the other guys?

[@stevenhaff3332]

Thank you for this video! Simply amazing the ability the man had.

[@jimm.1013]

At 0:56 it is said that Ruth is sporting a lefthanded catcher's mitt and that it is "uncommon in our time". It is technically a lefthanded catcher's mitt in that it goes on the left hand, but it was primarily for a righthanded person, of course, and contrary to the video, is not uncommon. Why it is on Ruth's throwing hand, I do not know.

[@commercialrealestatecoach]

great perspective you've shared. Reminds me of my favorite Sports Quote when in 1993 David Letterman asked Phillies slugger John Kruk how an Athlete like him could drink all that Beer, to which Krukie responded: "I'm a Baseball Player, not an Athlete"

[@jimmyolsen5897]

Greatest baseball player the world has ever known

[@HHIto]

He looks like Mohammed Ali, a compliment! He passed away before I was born, but he was a hero to me!

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

ollie? p.o.s. mr. chicken feces rope a dope...cause he chicken cow/werd... ooops

[@Paul-dw2cl]

He always seems like a good guy. I like that version of Rhapsody in Blue

[@biachiyoga4391]

I met a guy in a retirement community a few years back. He was an Italian fellow who said he had met Babe Ruth when he was a kid. Supposedly Ruth traveled through his neighborhood somewhat regularly. The man said that upon getting to shake Ruth's hand, he urinated on himself, to which Ruth said something like "don't do that again". The man said Ruth was a fantastic guy, who made people laugh and feel good. So, I guess getting called out for peeing your pants in front of the Babe was even a wonderful experience. If only we could all have such a way with people.

[@tankwfw]

Best stat about the Babe: In just his third year as a full time player (not pitching fulltime), he broke the all time HR record held by Roger Coners. He went on to break his own HR record 577 times, and by the time he retired, the next closest player with HR was Lou Gehrig, his friend and teammate, who was nearly 400 HR's behind him. There has never been a pro athlete that has been that superior to his peers. Not Jordan, not Brady, not even Gretzky. Oh and he was also one of the best pitchers of his era.

[@kevinomalley1145]

Don Bradman is statistically the best athlete in relation to his peers.

[@jamesanthony5681]

You could make a case for Gretzky who is the all-time leader in points by a huge margin, and has more assists (1963) than the no. 2 player, Jagr, has total points (1921).

[@tankwfw]

​@@jamesanthony5681 idk. Mario Lemieux has almost as many assists per game as Gretzky, just not as many games due to his cancer scare. Gretzky had a long career by hockey standards (20 years)

[@jamesanthony5681]

@@tankwfw Yes, Mario could have been right there with Wayne if not for his cancer.

[@FreightmareFTW]

Don't pay so much attention to the false idols as they have dragged down many people before. Detach from this world and the things in it to focus on God. The world is headed towards damnation. Contemplate how the Roman Empire has fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 from 538-1798 AD. Revelation 17 and history confirms that it is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future/make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years of human history or C) History we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate though because you can start a relationship with God and have proof. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Belief in messiah alone is not enough to save you, for if you believed in Him you would also follow Him and obey His commands- Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 ESV. If you have any questions about scripture feel free to ask me

[@Parpl22]

The author left out the whole part that none of Ruth’s contemporaries were not comparable at all.

[@romanclay1913]

In 1923, Yankee Stadium's right field line was 258'. In 1928 it was 295'.

[@jeffcarson1398]

Amazing vid 🙌

[@kentuckyjerk323]

John Kruk said it best when asked was he an athlete. He said "I'm a ball player." Ruth could see the ball and hit. He didn't have to be in shape like a Bonds or Sosa to hit. He could simply hit. You could also argue he was the best left handed pitcher in the American league during his short span.

[@marksimmons2033]

I agree with this statment. You don't have to be a great athlete to hit and pitch.

[@JRobbySh]

Run and throw and field his position.

[@oscarposada6144]

No steroids, dead ball and still considered one if the best ever to actually play the game. Hank Aron, the home run king also no steroids, dead ball one of the best to play the game. No kneeling or worrying about who's black who's white. Play ball.

[@nighthawk292]

No steroids in Aaron area but lots of the players did "speed" or greenies as they were called. Although steroids were around in the early sixties. I am not saying they were used but they existed. They were not as sophisticated as the ones are today. I mean John Mcenroe, of all people admitted to doing steroids.

[@dustinharrison3491]

George Herman "Babe" Ruth (THE GREAT BAMBINO!). He looks ordinary yes, but at the same time, knowing who he was, he really does look ordinarily extraordinary!!! He really was, "less than a God, but more than a man", as Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez explained.

[@rubberneck9680]

Babe Ruth looked like a TITAN what are you talking about?

[@willsmith8586]

Babe Ruth was 6' 2". Which is like 2% of the population back then. That was not ordinary by any stretch. He towered over ordinaries.

[@tomitstube]

it's scary to think how good ruth would have been if he had taken better care of himself, i think those wild swings were for show, he knew the camera was on him and babe was a big ham. his swing has been analyzed and it's about as good as it gets, level thru the zone, he may have struck out a lot, but he always had a great batting average along with all those home runs.

[@snerdterguson]

His strikeout rate is actually pretty good, especially when you adding his walk rate. He struck out in 12.5% of his plate appearances but walked in 19.4%. Contrast that with one of the guys today who is hardest to strikeout, Jose Ramirez, who strikes out in 11.9% of his plate appearances and walks in 10.2%.

[@username-zj9id]

@@snerdterguson 100 strikeouts a season used to embarrassing for a hitter. Now guys strikeout 200 times a season and don't lead the league

[@snerdterguson]

@@username-zj9id Joe DiMaggio hit 361 homers and only struck out 369 times. That’s a season and a half of strikeouts for Adam Dunn

[@DanielSong39]

@@snerdterguson To be fair Dunn was actually pretty good at the plate for 6 years

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

@@DanielSong39 As a Red fan (don't follow it anymore) I can speak for myself *AND MANY OTHERS* in saying that he was just terrible when you put together everything that a position player should be. Sometimes it was down right embarrassing. IMO.

[@Sills71]

The days before 'roids and other PEDs was BETTER. Real people, doing real things.

[@toms8483]

I never knew he swung a bat like Happy Gilmour swung a golf club. Was that common for those times?

[@OliveMule]

Reminds me of bam bam Bigelow

[@jeremydobbs5578]

I disagree. He had remarkably charismatic. Not good looking but charismatic, like Barkley

[@comiskey2005]

No one going to mention @5:00 where a child is literally just a few feet from Ruth taking a massive cut? 😆

[@jacquestaulard3088]

A++++++++!

[@bitofwizdomb7266]

I hit a baseball so hard once that I knocked the cover off of it and all the intestines inside , or whatever you call that stuff , went all over everyone sitting in the left field stands . It was sick! It was like spaghetti noodles flying all over the place landing in peoples laps , on their heads , all over the seats and stuff .

[@nicktekula5167]

All I’m saying is in todays day and aged he does not stand a chance. Players now are levels ahead of anyone during those times

[@davidpadilla9468]

You are talking about a player who has the highest slugging and on base percentage in the history of the sport.

[@davidpadilla9468]

Not so

[@glennmorris25]

We don’t think Michael Jordan and Tom Brady are objectively beautiful we make them beautiful because we know what they can do. Same for the Babe

[@lovesosaJDPON]

Babe Ruth never saw a 98 mph fastball with movement

[@davidpadilla9468]

Ruth saw everything all the pitches up to 105 mph

[@davidpadilla9468]

He did and saw many types of junk balls which are illegal today

[@myirishlife]

My father, born in 1919 in Vermont, was a huge Yankee fan growing up. He found himself standing next to Ruth on a NY subway in 47. No one was making a fuss about him, so he couldn't bring himself to say anything to him. Ruth was dead in a year and my dad regretted not saying something to him his whole life.

[@brucetowell3432]

Wow, and he was a baseball Yankee fan??.....I retired from Homeland Security working out of a local international airport. I ran across many baseball players/football/basketball....I'm a huge Indians fans..and I always had to get in a conversation with my heroes when I saw them!!:-)

[@aaa-fv3xk]

That's the nature of the subway, you have those random encounters that are better left unacknowledged, especially when a celebrity is involved. Babe probably would've appreciated just being left alone for the ride. Your dad could've taken some solace in that

[@brucetowell3432]

@@aaa-fv3xk True..considering he was dying of cancer by then anyway....

[@aaa-fv3xk]

@@brucetowell3432 Either way, it sounds like your father had a great heart, much like the Babe

[@brucetowell3432]

@@aaa-fv3xk LOL, thanks but you are confusing me, with the poster, it's Tom Laramie, not me:-)

[@ice-iu3vv]

6'2 was taller then than it is now. he weighed 180 when he came up and didnt pass 210 until he was 30 years old. he looked like a formidable athlete in the 19-teens, and was a feared fist-fighter until the 30s. he mastered cricket from one explanation of the rules. he golfed until near death. he was tested by physiologists to be abnormal to super-human in reaction time, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. athletes in the age of "supplements" would look just as weird to people from the 1920s, as ruth looks to younger people today. it was well into the 1960s before writers began pointing out that ruth didnt look like an athlete. in his time there was no particular look that society assumed they should have.

[@scooter5940]

Exactly. The average height for a male in the U.S. was 5-7 in 1920. It is 5-10 today. Ruth's swing was so violent, so loopy, and the bat so heavy, it took extraordinary talent to bat .340 and never strikeout 100 times. He was extraordinary for his time.

[@C____K]

The fact that you brought up cricket is interesting because Babe Ruth might’ve gotten his swing entirely from cricket. Look at his odd (for baseball) load mechanics compared to a cricket swing. They are identical.

[@ice-iu3vv]

@@C____K no his baseball career was nearly over when he was shown cricket. some myth exists that he copied joe jackson's swing, this is also false. its plainly evident that whatever went into his "training" for baseball took place at st. mary's with brother mathias.

[@tom4150]

Didn't pass 210. Were you his doctor? You don't know this lol

[@stickershock66]

@@C____K All I can think of now is the cricket scene in King Ralph, featuring John Goodman who also played The Babe.

[@chad735]

100 years later we’re still watching videos about him.

[@johnsmithSongbird]

So true

[@Shinobi33]

I don't think he look ordinary early on. You see film of him in high school or Boston and he's looks pretty formidable next to the other players. He was tall, stocky, and strong

[@Malcolm.Y]

Good to see someone touch on his pitching record, but I'd add a few point. 1. If his last 14 years were on the mound, he would have made the HOF anyway. 2. As a pitcher, Ruth hit more HRs than he gave up while pitching. 3. He started about 150 games and COMPLETED about140 of them, racking up a Win Pct of about 63%. You will not see 140 complete games for this entire decade.

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

You speak the truth.

[@Ease54]

The scoreless innings record I always read was 29 2/3 innings, unless they revised it sometime.

[@username-zj9id]

Always bugs me when people compare he and Williams and people cite Ted's lost seasons at war. But nobody mentions that Ruth was a pitcher and didn't start hitting full time till 1920. Yes, Williams would have hit a lot of homeruns in the seasons he lost. Maybe he gets to 714. But the record would have been a lot higher than 714 if Ruth had been hitting full-time from the beginning.

[@Malcolm.Y]

@@username-zj9id Agree. He is in a class by himself. He used an unbelievably heavy bat, and swung so hard, he'd lose balance or even fall if he missed. He once said - if all I was doing is trying to hit singles, I'd bat .600. I believe him. lol

[@username-zj9id]

@@Malcolm.Y I think a lot of casual fans would be surprised to know his career BA was. 342, only 2 points below Williams. That kind of Average with his power is astounding

[@timtonner946]

Really enjoyed this. Voiceover kept me engaged, and just a great in/out video. Thanks!

[@thebaseballprofessor]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I appreciate it!

[@timtonner946]

@@thebaseballprofessor Great stuff. This one in particular, given the history of the Babe in my locale....

[@michaelterry4394]

During WW2 the Japanese were known to yell to he'll with Babe Ruth LOL. CANT get more famous or infamous then that, ? Love the video.

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

This was just *FANTASTIC*!!! That swing at the 5:00 mark was the best footage of his swing and contact that I believe I've ever seen. I had to slow that down all the way and rewatch it like 5 times in a row. It'd be something else to see him pitch just a full inning with the footage being from behind. Thanks for sharing this. :O)

[@georgesouthwick7000]

What is often overlooked is the fact that Ruth probably would have gone into the Hall of Fame as a pitcher had he not moved to the outfield.

[@juliebraden6911]

lol how can it be overlooked when it's brought up everytime Babe Ruth is mentioned? Get over yourself.

[@georgesouthwick7000]

@@juliebraden6911 You might consider doing the same.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@juliebraden6911 shove it

[@joannsissy4768]

The greatest ballplayer of all time bar NONE yes I mean all modern baby's ALL

[@marksimmons2033]

But not the best

[@pauldonnelly910]

Somebody said Ruth had "a face like a happy catcher's mitt". I wish we had a stronger image of Ruth as a young man, when he was all big hands, lean and hungry. (I've written a novel now with an agent; stay tuned.) Ballplayers didn't talk about him for his pitching first, nor his hitting: guys heard about the kid who could eat more of anything than they'd ever seen.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

ooo, we are all gonna wait for your relevation....ooo, ooo....how much are ya gonna tarnish him?huh?

[@urbanlegendsandtrivia2023]

Babe Ruth was 6'2" and 215 pounds when people were much smaller on average than they are in 2022. He probably looked like a giant when he walked into a room.

[@danielflynn8530]

I live nearby a Ballpark called Muzzy field. This park is in Bristol Connecticut and it is where the first-ever recorded home run that Babe Ruth hit. His number is on the right-field wall.

[@Largeagegaplove]

I hate hearing people of today denigrating the Babe ab=nd his accomplishments for a host of reasons. He was clearly the most dominant baseball player EVER and changed the game. This can be said of only one other sports figure being Wilt Chamberlain. Both men dominated their sports in a way no others have done.

[@username-zj9id]

I agree. I might also add Wayne Gretzky.

[@DanielSong39]

Donald Bradman

[@bobbymcdaniel6305]

I love his willingness to be available to the fans. I believe that's where all sports are losing their fans. Sports have lost the kids and more interested in the parents for the money.

[@shawncornell346]

Babe did it on hot dogs and beer. Bonds did it on roids

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

bonds was a piece of feces...an arrogant white ppl hating cheating P.O.S.

[@hyzercreek]

Ruth's lifetime slugging average was better than Hank Aaron's best single season slugging average.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

screw fank aaron. he couldnt carry Ruths' ' jockstrap

[@jerryamernic9138]

There are some glaring inaccuracies in Bawden's take on Babe Ruth. First, St. Mary's industrial school was neither an orphanage nor a home for delinquents. Second, it's ludicrous to compare athletes from years ago to those of today. Jesse Owens wouldn't qualify for a 100-meter final today, but that's no reason to denigrate the man. As for Ruth looking 'ordinary,' how many baseball players in 1920 were 6'2"? Not many I can tell you. Bottom line. Ruth had more impact on his sport and in such a short time span than anyone else I can think of in any sport. Period.

[@johnwayne9828]

Not a home for delinquents? What would you define a reform school as?

[@nighthawk292]

You must know that In Owens' day there were no such things as starting blocks and the track was not rubberized.

[@dspsblyuth]

@@johnwayne9828 a school for young baseball players

[@harmonysinger8077]

OPS Ruth, Gehrig and Ted Williams top the lists New stats show how amazing the old time sluggers really were. My dad got to see him play in the 1920s - amazing!

[@lltimbs]

God blessed him because he had a big heart..Have you ever seen any athlete since Babe love children & give back to them like he did? I think not. God was pleased...

[@GeorgeVreelandHill]

The Babe hit home runs in a stadium much larger than the one Hank played in. I love Hank, but Hank hit home runs in a park that was 100 feet shorter than Yankee Stadium. Also, Babe Ruth did not take drugs like the so-called home run king of today. Give me Babe. The greatest player in baseball history.

[@romanclay1913]

Yankee Stadium was 296 down the right field line.

[@1211home]

And the upper deck hung out over the field.

[@Ascending11]

I'm sure players back then we're on substances too; just maybe not roids. Listen to stories of old musicians doing drugs and stuff. What makes you think they were clean back then?

[@TheBatugan77]

Good grief. Idiots.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

@@romanclay1913 it was the same for every player

[@lanceanthony198]

Babe Ruth is one of the few mythical historic athletes

[@2ndavenuesw481]

He was a big man for the time.

[@mikeguaraldo]

In response to the people comparing babe ruth era to playing in today's game....it doesn't matter cuz you're talking about him 90 years later. You just can't compare the game today to how it was then. He was the best of his era. There will be other great ones, now in the present day and in the future. But he was the first superstar and made the game what it is today, and that's it.

[@charleshultquist9233]

Left handed catchers mitt???? He's got a mitt on his left hand just like 99.9% of all right handed catchers.

[@dondunbar3386]

What you fail to realize is the Ruth threw left handed. Evidently, he threw right handed when he caught.

[@TheBatugan77]

Ruth caught the ball, whipped off the mitt, threw the ball back lefty, and put the mitt back on. And yes, he threw out base-stealers that way.

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

@@TheBatugan77 Are you really sure about that? Any evidence for that? That would up his coolness factor quite a lot.....and it's already through the roof. Ha! :O)

[@fasteddie9867]

I love the Babe!

[@andrethegiant2877]

To the people that say it was so much easier back then for a guy like Ruth I always ask, "Why didn't anyone else have those numbers then?"

[@TheBatugan77]

In 1927 the Yanks had the top three HR hitters in the AL. 1. Babe 60 2. Lou Gehrig 47 3. Tony Lazzeri 18! Ruth damn near topped the #2 & 3 guys himself!

[@noels6010]

The pool of players back then was significantly smaller and cy williams, roger hornsby, hack wilson and bob meusel all had season where they put up more homeruns then prime babe ruth.

[@FreightmareFTW]

Don't pay so much attention to the false idols as they have dragged down many people before. Detach from this world and the things in it to focus on God. The world is headed towards damnation. Contemplate how the Roman Empire has fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 from 538-1798 AD. Revelation 17 and history confirms that it is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future/make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years of human history or C) History we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate though because you can start a relationship with God and have proof. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Belief in messiah alone is not enough to save you, for if you believed in Him you would also follow Him and obey His commands- Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 ESV. If you have any questions about scripture feel free to ask me

[@juliebraden6911]

Wow, you really showed that strawman who's boss.

[@dspsblyuth]

@@noels6010 what are you talking about? Babe had a 60 home run season in 27 that stood until Maris broke it in 61 and that record stood for almost 40 years. None of those guys ever had better yearly home run stats

[@fliegeroh]

Until Shohei Ohtani, no other major league player ever produced at both hitting and pitching like Babe Ruth. If he had stuck to pitching, Ruth might have gone down as the greatest pitcher of all time and we'd be calling it the "Babe Ruth Award" instead of the Cy Young Award.

[@Less1leg2]

this is how special a BATTER Babe Ruth was. Think about it in his era of baseball. You could do spit balls. You could scuff a ball. You could discolor the ball. You had for pitchers an improved pitchers mound that benefited the pitchers throwing angle. ** pitchers mounds were changed in the 1960's because of pitchers having such an advantage over Batters. BOB GIBSON RULE changed baseball. Yet, Babe Ruth slugged away against them all using all the tools of their arsenal. Which included pitches we call today illegal pitches. He had to read them all, and hit them all, screwballs, spit balls, scuffed balls, etc. Then check out his batting average. Not bad for batting against every conceivable pitch that could be thrown at him. I admire the man, because regardless of era, baseball is still, throwing the ball, and the hitter hitting the ball. All the fancy mechanics, diet, off season training. Don't mean squat when you stand up to the plate and swing. Baseball is about statistics and averages, and skill to connect the bat to the ball. Babe Ruth could without a doubt swing in any era against any pitcher and equally do his damage to the ball. Now, you can and could make the argument about Ruth not facing Negro League pitchers. That's fair to say. But, in Ruth's time of baseball. The best of the best athletes if they wanted to make Pro Sports money played baseball. There was no NFL, there was no NBA, there was only BASEBALL. So the best pitchers regardless of race played baseball. There was only a handful of teams. So even amongst baseball teams there was only a select few players to play in the Major League. If you didn't produce, you were gone. Like I say, Babe Ruth never played in any Divisional Major League games against Negro League Players. But play between the two may have had some impact on batting but the fact is and was, Babe Ruth pounded all pitchers regularly. He had an eye on hitting.

[@timtonner946]

Nice analysis. He lived about ten minutes from me when he was with Red Sox, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. And frequented taverns, visited with kids playing baseball, etc in my town of Marlborough, Massachusetts

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

And reports from the many exhibition games with the Negro Leaguers indicate that he played at the same level against them. Some thought he might be a black man passing for white.

[@syourke3]

Scuffing and discoloring balls and spitballs were outlawed in 1920 following the death of Ray Chapman.

[@robertlindsay9875]

@@syourke3 There was a grandfathering in of at least the spitnball, meaning that if you threw it before you were still allowed to throw it, but new players could not.

[@HankFinkle11]

According to Buck O’Neil, Ruth took Satchel Paige deep in a barnstorming game.

[@billysheppard6091]

God bless America's past time and the game of baseball.as a troubled young boy.it was baseball which gave him direction.and the rest is baseball history. The Bambino..the sultan of swat.. semper fi..

[@jacksmith5692]

He was actually in excellent shape as a Red Sox and early in his Yankee career!

[@JRobbySh]

It was the hot dogs.

[@DanielSong39]

Not sure whether it was the case for Ruth, but many sluggers intentionally put on weight because it gave them more power

[@jacksmith5692]

@@DanielSong39 Part if it is probably the aging process also. Many athletes get bigger and stronger as they get older.

[@dspsblyuth]

@@DanielSong39 Shaq did the same thing

[@rentslave]

John Kruk said:"I'm not an athlete.I'm a baseball player."Great "athletes" from other sports have not fared well in baseball. Jim Thorpe,Michael Jordan,Bo Jackson,and countless others have washed out in baseball.

[@DanielSong39]

Kruk could hit though He was a really good baseball player By the way Bo Jackson did not wash out in baseball

[@paulkossak7761]

Bo Jackson was a great baseball player but injures shortened his career.

[@marchelm9567]

Bo knows baseball you must be smoking crack ... put some respect on that

[@a1fromday117]

Bo Jackson didn’t wash out of baseball. He suffered an injury playing football that could have killed him

[@rentslave]

@@DanielSong39 Retrosheet rates Jackson at 1.4 wins for his teams.Just for comparison Kruk has a 12.4 rating,a full 2 points higher than has Derek Jeter.

[@robertcrist5747]

You mean he wasn't a Binary Pronoun?

[@SteveGee1986]

I wonder if Ruth was actually a few years older than reported. Sure, people looked older then (rough lives), but in ruth's case I just wonder. The power came from his hips. His tork was unreal.

[@charlesstuart7290]

If he took better care of himself, he could have had at least another productive three years. His fun affect that the Tube lauds, went against him when he tried to get the job he wanted the most - Major League manager.

[@dcasper8514]

You're right. His hard drinking life played against him.

[@GetMeThere1]

Very nicely put together. Thanks for putting it up, prof!

[@bobanderson6656]

Ruth must have had a visual acuity of around 20/10. No other explanation. The average in the majors today is around 20/13; for some it's 20/9.

[@jamie49868]

You simply don't do the things and accomplish what Ruth did without being an exceptional athlete.

[@bretstanley8931]

Wow, I didn't know that they dove head first into bases back then! I thought Pete Rose started that!

[@soulvaccination8679]

Wow..Babe Ruth...The greatest of all times....We need more Babe Ruths today..What do you think his paycheck would be if The Babe were playing today?

[@9Ballr]

Today he would own the Yankees.

[@victorsmith3785]

One of the most effortless swings with power and Avg, I personally think only Ted Williams was a better hitter in the1920's to1950's Era

[@writerconsidered]

Well Being from Boston I'm a Ted Williams fan. The Babe had far more natural talent then Ted but Ted had far more discipline then the Babe. The final lifetime totals would be Ted on top with the babe in second had Ted not lost 5 yrs of his prime years in war. But history doesn't change and both should be celebrated for their individual greatness.

[@JRobbySh]

The Babe had an advantage playing in Yankee stadium.

[@MikeCee7]

Babe would of easily had 800+ home runs, if he played everyday during his first 5 years.

[@davidpadilla9468]

Remember ruth was a pitcher for his first 6 years of proball.

[@frankpetrone2966]

Still the best ball player ever!

[@gusdogas7759]

Remember also , he didn’t wear baseball gloves , helmet, pads , didn’t do drugs, steroids, was a average looking man with God given ability to be the Greatest baseball ⚾️ player in the history of baseball ⚾️ !!! Not like your Wimpy, delicate , sissy pretty boys in baseball ⚾️ today ! BABE RUTH was a natural !!!!!

[@bauerj3398]

Well, except for the whole injecting himself with sheep testicle extract trying to get an edge.

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

As a Cincinnati Red fan born and bred, I will have to admit this - I've often tried to picture Pete Rose in a Yankee uniform back in the days of Ruth and Gehrig. Pete's style etc. was IMO absolutely tailor made for those teams back then, I can see Pete batting lead off in that era of Yankee baseball. I believe Pete would have fit in great and got along fine with those players. Closest I ever got to that was seeing Pete in the 76 World Series. When he went into 3rd head first right between Nettles legs was a thing of beauty. :O)

[@stratovani]

Babe Ruth was the first great sports superstar. He was the template for all other sports superstars to follow, from Mickey Mantle to Arnold Palmer, from Pete Rose to Michael Jordan, from Wayne Gretzky to Tom Brady. Sure, there ere other great players when he played, but no other player had the charisma and connected with the fans quite like George Herman Ruth.

[@jonpike9991]

Babe Ruth was amazing athlete drank beer smoked and eat dogs. Modern day players can't do that

[@bravobravoh1344]

He was only 53 when he died.

[@jamesanthony5681]

Babe was such a natural in front of the camera.

[@kevinw9073]

Ruth also sed the heaviest bat ever. Over 50 oz. That's a hunk of log.

[@ronniebishop2496]

And Hank Aaron went to bat 2800 more times than Babe to hit the same amount of home runs which means his batting records have really never been broken.

[@TheNoncritical1]

I thought it was four thousand.

[@ronniebishop2496]

@@TheNoncritical1 I think to break the 712 lifetime home runs.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

aaron couldnt carry babe's jock strap.lol

[@ac-twig]

Awesome short on Ruth. Amazing statistics

[@joejones1779]

The greatest American athlete, hands down, end of story.

[@angelvalle9963]

He the greatest to ever player the game there will never be another bambino .

[@Grizzlied555]

Greatest ever.

[@ronmanfredo9550]

Great stuff ! Thanks luv the Babe! And all the old players!

[@johnsmithSongbird]

I liked babe Ruth I also liked the old uniforms they wore actually I am a long time fan of the California Angels who finally won the world series in 2002 wow they hit the winning run to outfielder who dropped the baseball then lost it again before he threw it in. Angels won 3-2

[@JD-jc8gp]

Ruth didn't look ordinary. A big powerful man.

[@georgevincent1834]

Micheal Jordan was no matinee idol either.

[@amihays7449]

Great video 👏👏👏💃💃 please keep them coming

[@SuperLefty1981]

I note that he is sporting a right-handed catchers mitt which tells me 1 of 2 things he either caught right handed or it was a prop for a picture

[@Darthtraveler]

I caught that also. He must have played catcher as a right hander.

[@al6347]

Baseball Royalty ⚾️

[@theinformationcenter1248]

Russell Crowe should play him.

[@71fluffdaddy]

This is probably the best film where you actually see Ruth hit the ball from behind like a catcher and what a sound that made on the hit crackkkkk…

[@garydonner7303]

a God givin talent like the other 👑 and both passed away on the 16 of August 😔🙏✝️🇺🇸😪 Goosebumps 🕺⚾️

[@deadpanfish]

He WAS NOT wearing a left handed catchers mit. It's clearly on his left hand, which is the hand a right handed thrower uses to catch. Furthermore, the player on babe's right is wearing a RIGHT handed mit on his RIGHT hand signifying how UNCOMMON it was at the time to have a mit that goes on the RIGHT hand... the hand which a LEFT HANDED player wears the mit. Use your senses to observe the world around you.

[@saljablo2767]

This

[@davidpadilla9468]

He used a right handed catcher Mitt on his left hand. When I was a kid I used a right handed glove but left handed. All catchers were right handed with exceptions

[@clifford7594]

Looked ordinary? Babe Ruth? I vividly recall one of Ken Burns' most distinguished commentators, slightly younger than Ruth, sharing that, even if you didn't know who he was, you'd stop and stare at him if you saw him walking down the sidewalk in New York. The man exuded a huge presence.