Shohei Ohtani, the other Babe Ruth of baseball

2022-08-27 14:34:19

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani is proving to be the biggest mystery in Major League Baseball since Babe Ruth: he can also hit!

Shohei Ohtani, the only "other" Babe Ruth in baseball

Babe Ruth (right) is the iconic all-rounder in baseball. He hit 714 career home runs from 1914 to 1935.

On the mound, the Big Bambino was mostly active early in his career, until he was 24 years old.

Ruth pitched in an era when there was virtually no relief, so he threw more than 300 innings in two seasons, collecting 23 and 24 wins those years.

Ohtani is having less success than Ruth on the mound, if you go by statistics alone.

In nearly 300 career innings, Ohtani has collected 23 wins and 12 losses so far.

This season, the Japanese pitcher broke the 10-win barrier for the first time in his career.

Ohtani has also hit his share of long balls (25 so far).

He is the only one, along with Ruth, to have 10 wins on the mound and hit 10 long balls in a single season.

The only one in the history of baseball, a sport whose first games were played in the 1800s!

Ohtani has several seasons left in him, but many wonder if he'll continue to pitch for much longer.

Should his batting performance ever decline, the Angels could ask their star to focus on that aspect of the game.

It's worth noting that Ohtani did not pitch in 2019, and very little in 2020, due to surgery.

Since then, the success has been there, you have to admit it. A 9-2 record last year, not to mention his 46 home runs as a batter!

Now, important point: Shohei Ohtani will have to sign a new contract sooner or later.

The Angels will certainly want to secure his services for the long term, even if he were to eventually stop pitching.

A contract over $400M is a possibility in his case, and it will definitely be over $300M.

It was not the Bambino who was able to receive such monetary recognition during his career!

It is often said that in sports, eras cannot be compared. True, but you can measure the impact of players on their era.

Ruth's cult following means that every year, fans still go to his grave with flowers and other memorabilia.

It remains to be seen if the legend Shohei Ohtani will be as strong in a few decades!

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