Ruth 1919, Ohtani 2021: hitting great and pitching well. This post covers hitting, pitching and fielding.

Shohei Ohtani

Positions: Designated Hitter and Pitcher

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right

6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg)

Team: Los Angeles Angels (majors)

Born: July 5, 1994 (Age: 27-084d) in Oshu, Japan jp

Right now, I'd vote for Shohei Ohtani as 2021 American League MVP. Ohtani is hitting great and pitching well. The only precedent is Babe Ruth hitting great and pitching well in 1919, his final season with the Red Sox. As soon as the Red Sox noticed that Ruth could do both, they traded him to the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1919-batting-leaders.shtml

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2021-batting-leaders.shtml

Wins Above Replacement--all

1.	Johnson • WSH	10.8
2.	Ruth • BOS	9.9
3.	Cicotte • CHW	9.7
4.	Alexander • CHC	7.5
5.	Adams • PIT	7.5
6.	Vaughn • CHC	7.3
7.	Coveleski • CLE	7.1
8.	Hornsby • STL	6.7
9.	Veach • DET	6.7
10.	Peckinpaugh • NYY	6.3

Wins Above Replacement--all

1.	Ohtani • LAA	8.9
2.	Wheeler • PHI	7.3
3.	Semien • TOR	7.2
4.	Soto • WSN	7.2
5.	Correa • HOU	6.9
6.	Ray • TOR	6.9
7.	Guerrero • TOR	6.7
8.	Tatis • SDP	6.6
9.	Ramirez • CLE	6.5
10.	Goldschmidt • STL	6.2

Home Runs

1.	Ruth • BOS	29
2.	Cravath • PHI	12
3.	Kauff • NYG	10
	Sisler • SLB	10
	Baker • NYY	10
	Walker • PHA	10
7.	Williams • PHI	9
	Smith • CLE	9
9.	Burns • PHA	8
	Hornsby • STL	8
	Heilmann • DET	8

In 1919 Ruth set the season home run record for the first of four times, culminating with 60 in 1927.

Home Runs

1.	Guerrero • TOR	46
	Perez • KCR	46
3.	Ohtani • LAA	45
4.	Semien • TOR	43
5.	Tatis • SDP	41
6.	Duvall • 2TM	38
	Gallo • 2TM	38
	Olson • OAK	38
9.	Ramirez • CLE	36
	Judge • NYY	36

Ohtani is one home run behind Guerrero and Perez. He could lead the AL and MLB.

How much did Babe Ruth pitch and bat at the same time? Monday, April 9, 2018

The DH rule started in the old American League back in 1973. The old National League never adopted it. So when Babe Ruth was a full time pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1915, 1916, 1917 Ruth would bat in all games in which he pitched. Ruth never played another position until 1918 when he led the AL in home runs for the first time with 11, tied with Tillie Walker, who had been Ruth's teammate the previous two years and was playing center field for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1918...

The Red Sox played these number of games during Ruth's years with them:
1914 91-62 (2) = 153
1915 101-50 (1) = 151
1916 91-63 (1) = 154
1917 90-62 (2) = 152
1918 75-51 (1) = 126
1919 66-71 (6) = 137

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Brian Kenny, Babe Ruth died 25 years before the designated hitter rule started! Shohei Ohtani has played SIX innings in the outfield! Friday, July 9, 2021

Geez, I know he knows this but his continued comparison of Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani basically ignores the fact that whenever Ruth pitched or played as a non-pitcher, the Babe played the field. Ruth didn't sit in the dugout and make four brief appearances to bat. People are amazed at the physical difficulty faced by Ohtani in having to be a designated hitter (DH) and also pitch in other games. Are you kidding? The physical mess David Ortiz was a DH.

On MLB Network Brian Kenny continues to state that Ruth did both for only three months. Brian, send me a Candygram when Ohtani does it ever. Ohtani is a bloody DH! Geez, come on. How difficult can that be physically? ...

Prior to this season when Ohtani pitched he didn't bat. Now in 2021 when Ohtani pitches, he sometimes bats. Except for six innings in the outfield, in his other games Ohtani is just a DH. Basically, he's a golfer who doesn't even walk the course.

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Hitting:

	Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
Ruth	1919	24	BOS	AL	130	543	432	103	139	34	12	29	113	7		101	58	.322	.456	.657	1.114	217	284		6	3			*71/38H
Ohtani	2021	26	LAA	AL	148	609	513	99	132	25	7	45	98	23	10	90	183	.257	.371	.596	.968	159	306	7	4	0	2	17	*D1/H97	AS

Pitching:

	Year	Age	Tm	Lg	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	ERA+	FIP	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9	SO/W	Awards
Ruth	1919	24	BOS	AL	9	5	.643	2.97	17	15	2	12	0	1	133.1	148	59	44	2	58		30	2	1	5	570	102	3.58	1.545	10.0	.1	3.9	2.0	0.52
Ohtani	2021	26	LAA	AL	9	2	.818	3.18	23	23	0	0	0	0	130.1	98	48	46	14	44	2	156	10	2	10	533	140	3.51	1.090	6.8	1.0	3.0	10.8	3.55	AS

Ohtani's ERA+ dwarfs Ruth's: 140 to 102. Ohtani does not have enough innings to be listed among leaders. On the other hand, Ruth completed 12 of his 15 starts and had a Save. And Ruth pitched more innings. (Ohtani could pitch again in 2021.)

Adjusted ERA+

1.	Johnson • WSH	215
2.	Cicotte • CHW	176
3.	Alexander • CHC	166
4.	Vaughn • CHC	160
5.	Weilman • SLB	159
6.	Ruether • CIN	154
7.	Toney • NYG	154
8.	Adams • PIT	153
9.	Sothoron • SLB	150
10.	Mays • 2TM	148

Eddie Cicotte would be one of seven Chicago White Sox who took money to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. An eighth White Sox, Buck Weaver, knew about the conspiracy. All eight were banned for life following the 1920 season.

Adjusted ERA+

1.	Burnes • MIL	185
2.	Scherzer • 2TM	178
3.	Woodruff • MIL	169
4.	Ray • TOR	163
5.	Buehler • LAD	157
6.	Wheeler • PHI	148
7.	Gausman • SFG	144
8.	Miley • CIN	142
9.	Fried • ATL	142
10.	Cole • NYY	139

Fielding:

Ohtani has started 120 games as designated hitter (DH), which is not a fielding position.

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	Lg	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%
1919	24	BOS	OF	AL	111	106	96	924	237	222	14	1	4	.996
1919	24	BOS	LF	AL	110	106	96		226	211	14	1	4	.996
1919	24	BOS	P	AL	17	15	12	133	50	13	35	2	1	.960
1919	24	BOS	1B	AL	5	5	4	43	40	35	4	1	5	.975
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	Lg	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%
2021	26	LAA	P	AL	23	23	0	130	18	11	6	1	0	.944
2021	26	LAA	OF	AL	7	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	0

 The End