Baseball Writers Around The World Compare Him To Babe Ruth
Baseball fans haven’t seen anything like this before. A pitcher who can hit 450 foot home runs. And a hitter who can blow a fastball by you at 99 mph- in the same game. Shohei Ohtani had a season like no other. 2021 was one for the record books. Writers and baseball fans alike are saying Ohtani is the best to ever play the game.
Babe Ruth pitched 14 innings for the Boston Red Sox in game 2 of the series beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-1. 14 innings is a record no one has touched since. Ruth may have turned in the best pitching performance ever that day, World Series or not. That was more than 100 years ago.
The American Society of Baseball Research celebrates Babe’s 1921 season as the best year at the plate for any player. Babe set the benchmark with 457 total bases, 177 runs scored, and 119 extra-base hits.
According to Baseball-Reference, Ohtani went to the plate 537 times this season, had 138 hits and 46 home runs.
Ohtani represented the Angels in this year’s MLB All-Star Game in Denver. He was the lead-off hitter and starting pitcher for the American League. Feared as a hitter, especially in the second half of the season, Ohtani drew nearly 100 walks.
I watched every Angels game this season. All 162. It didn’t take long to notice he was having a great year. Ohtani fans knew they were watching something special by mid-season. The hype before the All-Star break was at its peak. Who knows what his final numbers would be had he not drawn so many intentional walks.
Baseball writers are right to compare him to the Bambino. We saw something special. If there ever was a Most Valuable Player, Shohei Ohtani would be it. Baseball announces the AL MVP on November 18th.
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