Does Ohtani’s Historic Pitching Debut Make Him Greater Than Babe Ruth?

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani makes his long-awaited postseason pitching debut today when the right-hander takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.Mr. Ohtani becomes the first player in modern Major League history to start as both a pitcher and a position player in the same postseason, prompting a fresh debate over whether the Japanese two-way sensation has surpassed the legendary Babe Ruth.Mr. Ohtani pitched his first six major league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and never made the playoffs. He spent his first year with the Dodgers in 2024 exclusively as a designated hitter while recovering from 2023 elbow surgery. He excelled at the plate, becoming the first player in major league history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, and helping the Dodgers win the World Series. He also won his third Most Valuable Player award.Now the Dodgers are trying to go back-to-back with Mr. Ohtani serving in the dual role as a slugger and starting pitcher. He’ll bat left-handed against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez in Game 1 and remain as the designated hitter should he be relieved as a pitcher.There are those who believe Mr. Ohtani has already surpassed Ruth as baseball’s greatest dual threat. “Babe Ruth isn’t even in the stratosphere with this guy,” Harold Reynolds, a baseball analyst and former two-time All-Star, said recently. “This is the greatest baseball player we’ve ever seen.”The topic remains worthy of debate, especially in today’s era of the designated hitter, pitch counts and specialized roles.There’s no question Ruth transformed the game in the early 20th century, reviving the sport after the notorious Black Sox scandal. His booming bat and charisma made him the first modern-day superstar. He smashed a record 714 career home runs while playing for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and won seven World Series titles and an MVP award. He posted a career hitting average of .342 with 2,214 RBIs.Ruth was a top pitcher in the American League before being sold to the Yankees. According to Baseball-Reference, he made 158 of his 163 career pitching starts in Boston, compiling a 89-46 record with a 2.19 ERA. He logged 105 complete games, pitched 1,190.1 innings and surrendered just nine home runs.Ruth focused exclusively on hitting with the Bombers, pitching in just five games during his 15 years in the Bronx. He started one game in each of 1920, 1930 and 1931 and two games in 1921. He was 5-0 and allowed his lone home run in pinstripes in 1921.“Pitching just felt like the most natural thing in the world,” Ruth once said. “Striking out batters was easy.”What’s setting Mr. Ohtani apart is that he is sustaining excellence at the plate and on the mound. This year, the three-time MVP belted 55 home runs with 102 RBI. He made his first appearance on the mound for the Dodgers on June 16 and finished the year 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts. He struck out 62 batters in 47 innings. In his most recent outing on Sept. 23, Mr. Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings and struck out eight against the Arizona Diamondbacks.“I know that Sho will revel in being in that environment and pitching in Game 1,” the Dodger president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, said. “I just think he’s a normal starting pitcher now.”At the end of his eighth MLB season, Mr. Ohtani’s career numbers are staggering. He has 280 home runs, a .282 batting average, and four All-Star appearances. On the mound, he is 39-20 with a 3.00 ERA and 670 strikeouts in over 528 innings.Enhancing Mr. Ohtani’s credentials as the best two-way player in baseball history is the era in which he performs. Ruth didn’t face lineups of specialized right-handed and left-handed hitters primed with endless data on pitching tendencies. And Ruth didn’t face hitters built like linebackers with the power to send a baseball into the next neighborhood.An impressive performance in this postseason could end the debate. Mr. Ohtani belted a pair of home runs – among his three hits in the wild-card sweep of the Cincinnati Reds – after hitting three homers and driving in 10 runs during the 2024 postseason.The Dodgers have better pitchers in the rotation with left-handed Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto ready to take the ball in Games 2 and 3. But Mr. Ohtani is the global superstar that will have the world watching.Babe Ruth will always be a legend, a towering figure in baseball’s mythology. But Mr. Ohtani is proving to be something different: a modern-day marvel doing what no player has ever done before, even Babe Ruth.

Does Ohtani’s Historic Pitching Debut Make Him Greater Than Babe Ruth?

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