What Did You Do To The Babe? My Lifelong Burning Question

Babe Ruth is probably the most iconic player in the history of sports. For a long time he was the most popular man in America, the home run champion, a party animal, a drinker, a smoker and a charismatic overly indulgent and highly lovable individual. Ruth’s monstrous power transformed the game as his pure power helped to move baseball out of the Deadball Era.

While he may not have been the greatest hitter who ever lived, a title that belongs to Ted Williams but is a constant topic of debate, he is still the greatest baseball player in history. Why? Many people forget that while Ruth was the best hitter of his generation he was also among the best pitchers of the age. For a long time I’ve wondered why that changed.

From 1914 to 1919 Ruth started 158 games, threw 1190.1 innings, winning 89 games while only losing 46. He struck out 483 batters during this time, pitched to the tune of a 2.19 ERA and hurled 105 complete games, 17 shutouts and even notched 4 saves. For you fans of sabermetrics, Ruth’s FIP throughout these years was 2.76 and his WAR was 20.8.

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In 1919 Ruth came into his own as a hitter when he began to play the outfield on days he didn’t pitch. In his last year with the Red Sox he batted .322 while hitting 29 home runs and driving in 119 runs. On the mound he threw in 17 games, won 9 and lost 5, posted a 2.97 ERA while striking out 30 and pitching 12 complete games. The following season he was famously sold to the Yankees and his pitching days were over (Although he did make appearances as a pitcher every now and then).

Babe Ruth warming up with the Red Sox in 1918. Source- Transcendental Graphics/Ruckerarchive.com

I have long wondered why the Yankees took the ball out of Ruth’s hands. He was a tremendous starting pitcher and back in those days pitchers were regular members of the lineup. There was no Designated Hitter then. The Bambino was clearly able to be both a hitter and a pitcher in the same season as 1919 would attest to and it wouldn’t be an odd occurrence in those days to see Ruth play outfield one day and pitch the next. In 1920, Ruth’s first year with the Yankees, he hit 54 home runs and drove in 135 runs while playing the outfield in the Polo Grounds. Would his numbers have been so different if he pitched as well?

Back in those days teams typically had a rotation of four starting pitchers. In 1920 the Yankees pitching staff was led by the likes of Carl Mays (26-11 with a 3.06 ERA), Bob Shawkey (20-19 with a 2.45 ERA) and Jack Quinn (18-10 with a 3.20 ERA). The other pitchers on the team who regularly started weren’t close to the level of play Ruth had displayed in his career. Adding Ruth to the rotation even as a number four pitcher behind Mays, Shawkey and Quinn would’ve made the Yankees one of the most dominant forces in the game. So why move him off the mound?

Today, we might say it’s to “preserve the player’s health and keep him fresh” or something like that. We’d say that using a player as both a starting pitcher and an outfielder would shorten their career.

Well, that just wasn’t the case here. Ruth wasn’t exactly healthy… ever. Even at this point he wasn’t a physical specimen and he would never be mistaken for such. In the early parts of the century players who were more muscle bound, like the type we see today, wouldn’t be the first choice of any team. As for fresh well, you heard me say it before.

The Sultan of Swat was a heavy drinker, a smoker and a notorious party animal. It’d be surprising if he was ever fresh when he played a game. Also, back then the teams just didn’t care. If Ruth destroyed his career early on they would’ve cut him and moved on. He had yet to become the otherworldly figure he would go on to be. Players didn’t make a lot and contracts were expendable. The Yankees owner, Colonel Jacob Rupert, was as unsentimental as they come and would go on to release Ruth after the 1934 season.

It’s interesting to note that if the Colossus of Clout (Just getting all these out) was just six wins away from becoming the only player in history to hit 100 home runs and win 100 games. He finished his career with a 94-46 record, a 2.28 ERA and 488 strikeouts in 163 games as a pitcher. Of course, we all know what he did at the plate. I may be alone on this but I always felt that the Yankees brass made a mistake by have Ruth play only one position.

They could have had a great pitcher every four or so days while still having a monstrous bat in the lineup day in and day out. Ruth wasn’t the greatest hitter who ever walked the face of planet Earth. Nor was he the best pitcher to ever take the mound. But he was among the best at both of those positions throughout his career and that is why he’s the best player in history. I only wish we could have seen the full extent of his ability as a starting pitcher.

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