On This Day In History | 1999
December 10, 2012
6/13/1948 | Ruth’s last appearance at Yankee Stadium (Life)
On this day 13 years ago the Associated Press named Babe Ruth the Athlete of the Century. Ruth beat out the likes of Michael Jordon, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Jesse Owens, and others. It’s hard to argue with the AP’s voting when you look at his career marks and how they rank in baseball history:
- 1st in slugging: 0.690
- 1st in OPS: 1.164
- 1st in OPS+: 206
- 2nd in on-base %: .474
- 2nd in RBIs: 2,217
- 3rd in home runs: 714
- 3rd in walks: 2,062
- 4th in runs: 2,174
- 6th in total bases: 5,793
- 10th in batting average: .342
What is clear is he was not just a power hitter. Ruth is near the top of the list in every major offensive category, whether that category requires power, a keen eye, or consistency. He is simply the greatest to ever play America’s greatest game.
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