Sunday, November 19, 2023

Babe Ruth out homered every other American League team in 1920 & 1927. 14% & 13% of AL Home Runs.

Photo of Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

Positions: Outfielder and Pitcher

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left






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.

Prior to modern expansion in 1961 there were eight teams in each of the two major leagues. They played only in league and 22 games against each of seven opponents. That's a 154 game schedule, which was not always completed and which could contain ties. Also, in 1918 and 1919 the schedule was shortened because of U.S. involvement in the first World War.  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

There is some overlap in 1918 and 1919 when Ruth both pitched and played another position ...

Ruth clearly transitioned from a full time starting pitcher through 1917 to being mostly a non-pitcher. Ruth's percentage of team games played in 1918 went from under 30% to 60%, more than double. Then in 1919 Ruth played in 97% of Red Sox games. He also set a new season record for home runs: 29...

Note that Ruth's first World Series appearance was in 1915 ... pinch hitting. Ruth did not pitch in that WS.

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Ruth had 10 regular season At Bats (not Plate Appearances (PA)) in 1914. Ruth played for the Red Sox 1914-1919, then joined the Yankees. The Red Sox won the pennant in 1915, 1916 and 1918 and won the World Series (WS) in all three years. Ruth threw 29 consecutive scoreless innings in those WS but hit no Home Runs (HR). That pitching record stood until Whitey Ford broke it in the 1961 WS.

Ruth led the Red Sox in HR in 4 of 5 years and was second in the other. In the matrix below Ruth HR total is bold and in a box. It also has a gold background in the two seasons when he led the AL in HR. His teammates HR are also listed and there is a team total.

Red Sox19151916191719181919
4331129
23213
23211
2221
1121
111
111
11
19151916191719181919
total1414141533
WSWS2WS6
220
1
Ruth AB92136123317432
AB/HR2345.3361.5028.8214.90
WS AB155

Ruth set a new season HR record in 1919. He broke that record three more times with the Yankees:

1920: 54
1921: 59
1927: 60.

Which brings us to the subject of this post. In 1920 and 1927 Ruth hit more HR than every other AL team. Really.

1920 TmHRABAB/HRFinWins
New York Yankees1155,17444.99395
Babe Ruth544588.48
St. Louis Browns505,359107.18476
Philadelphia Athletics445,263119.61848
Chicago White Sox375,330144.05296
Washington Nationals365,252145.89668
Cleveland Indians355,203148.66198
Detroit Tigers305,212173.73761
Boston Red Sox225,189235.86572
1920 AL36941,982113.77
1920 Ruth %AL14.6%
1927 TmHRABAB/HRFinWins
New York Yankees1585,35433.891110
Babe Ruth605409.00
Philadelphia Athletics565,28794.41291
St. Louis Browns555,21794.85759
Detroit Tigers515,300103.92482
Chicago White Sox365,157143.25570
Washington Nationals295,394186.00385
Boston Red Sox285,205185.89851
Cleveland Indians265,203200.12666
1927 AL43942,11795.94
1927 Ruth %AL13.7%

This is not new information but seeing both seasons together with a little more information makes it even more remarkable. And this after 1916 and 1917 winning 23 and 24 games and pitching 323 and 326 innings. Ruth led AL:

1916: ERA, GS, SHO, ERA+, H9, HR9 (no HR allowed)

1917: CG

There was only one Babe Ruth.

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