Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani keeps making history.
No one in the history of the game has been as good as him at pitching and hitting; not even Babe Ruth.
He is, understandably, compared to Ruth a lot, but the reality indicates that the Babe was never such a productive hitter at both roles during a single season.
For example, Ohtani became the only player in MLB history to win 10 games as a pitcher and hit 30 homers at the plate in the same campaign.
An MLB fan helped us clarify his place in history.
“Shohei Ohtani is no longer “the first player since Ruth.” He is now in “the first player to ever” territory. This man is absolutely unreal,” James B. Jones tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani is no longer "the first player since Ruth." He is now in "the first player to ever" territory.
This man is absolutely unreal. https://t.co/IKs6hNoHt5
— James B. Jones (@TheJamesBJones) September 1, 2022
Ohtani Has Been Both An Ace And A Top Slugger
Pitching wins are not exactly the best tool to measure and evaluate performance, but he didn’t get there by coincidence: he did it while posting a 2.67 ERA in 128 innings.
Oh, and he has struck out 176 hitters, increasing his strikeout rate from 29.3 percent last season to 34 percent this year.
He has been a true ace, in all the sense of the word: he has pitched a considerable number of innings and dominated every time he steps on the mound.
We bet that your average frontline pitcher can’t hit .269/.359/.529 with 30 home runs and 11 stolen bases, can he?
Ohtani is, truly, on a tier of his own when it comes to unique players.
It’s a shame that we haven’t had the chance to see what he can do in postseason play, as his Angels are about as dysfunctional as any franchise in MLB.
