The question, of course, contains the word "ever," which presents the dilemma of making comparisons across eras. That Babe Ruth was the greatest player of his own era cannot be challenged. His 714 career home runs stood double the total for any other player at the time. Ruth excelled at both pitching and batting, posting league-leading stats in both categories during his career. His very presence in baseball transformed the game and brought its popularity into mainstream America.
But to be labeled the greatest of all time, a player's presence must transcend his own era. Consider that in 1993 an AP survey reported Ruth as being tied with Muhammad Ali as the most recognized athletes, both having been identified by 97% of Americans over the age of 12.
It was not only his presence that transcended eras, but his stats. Ruth's record of 714 home runs stood 39 years before being broken by Hank Aaron. Ruth accomplished his total with 8,399 at-bats, or 11.7 AB per home run. Aaron required 12,364 at-bats, or 16.3 AB per home run, to accomplish his feat. Furthermore, a 2006 book by Bill Jenkinson analyzes Ruth's batting record. The book points out that until 1931, American League rules stated that balls that went over the fence in fair territory, but landed foul, were ruled foul balls. Additionally, Ruth's home park in the early 1920s measured over 500 feet to straight-away center. Jenkins concludes that under modern rules and park dimensions, Ruth would have hit 104 home runs in 1921 and would have easily exceeded 800 for his career!
Other feats that transcended his era include his career .342 batting average (10th all-time), a career .690 slugging average that still stands as the best of any player, and a record 60 home runs in 1927 that stood as the single-season for 34 years and was not touched again until the 1998 "juiced" season. Speaking of juiced, Ruth's 1920 slugging average of .847 stood as the single-season record for 81 years until a steroid-filled Barry Bonds slugged .862 in 2001. In fact, Ruth held the top three spots until Bonds' steroid years, and had been the only player to slug over .800, accomplishing the feat in both 1920 and 1921.
Reggie Jackson is famous for hitting three home runs in a World Series game in 1977, but what few people realize is that Jackson was the second player to accomplish the feat. Ruth was the first, of course, and he did it twice. Ruth is also tied for the most walks in a World Series Game (4), tied for most runs scored in a World Series game (4), and thanks to the home run record, tied for the total base record in a World Series Game (12).
What is so amazing about Ruth, however, is his overall prowess as an athlete. He was a phenomenal pitcher, posting a 1.75 ERA with 23 wins in 1916, beating the legendary Walter Johnson four times that year. The following season, Ruth posted a 2.01 ERA and won 24 games. He carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning during a game that season, and struck out Ty Cobb to secure the 1-0 victory. And speaking of transcending eras, in 1918 Ruth won two World Series games, pitching 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings... a record that would stand until Whitey Ford broke it 43 years later.
Here are a few more tidbits for the curious:
- Babe Ruth's 54 home runs in 1920 were more than any other team hit collectively.
- In 1927, one out of every 7 home runs hit in the American League belonged to Babe Ruth.
- Ruth was the winningest left-handed pitcher from 1915-17, helping the Red Sox win the World Series twice.
- In 1920, the year Ruth joined the team, the Yankees became the first club to surpass the one million mark in attendance, a total that was more than double that of any other team.
- Babe Ruth's final home run was hit on May 25, 1935. He hit three homers that day, and the last slug was the first ball ever hit completely out of Forbes Field.
- Ruth still holds the AL record for career RBI. He is exceeded for the major league record by only 96 RBI... by Hank Aaron.
- Ruth still holds the record for RBI titles (6) and most seasons with 100+ RBI (T-13).
- Babe Ruth base-on-balls records... most in a career, most in a season, most seasons leading the league, and most seasons with 100+... are all exceed by only one player: Barry Bonds.
- Ruth still holds the record for the most multi-homer games with 73... 2 more than Barry Bonds.
And then there is the legend. The Curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox punishment for trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees was to suffer a World Series drought. Now for all the superstition and the amazing twists of fate that tortured Red Sox fans over the 85-year span between World Series wins, the Curse is more impressive for the way it ended than the way it began. Never before had a team overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series to win. But that's exactly what the Red Sox did in 2004 on their way to a World Series title. And which team suffered the indignity of blowing the 3-0 lead? The Yankees, of course.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. is shrouded not only by his superhuman accomplishments on the field, but by legend and mysticism conveyed on no other player. His feats span eras and when measured by modern standards, have no comparison. He is the best baseball player ever.
