Jim Colyer Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 (edited) Babe Ruth was a giant. Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds are midgets by comparison. Aaron hit 755 home runs but did it in 3,298 games with 12,364 at bats. Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs in only 2,503 games with 8,398 at bats. Aaron came to the plate 3,966 more times, the equivalent of 7 seasons. Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs in the days when field dimensions were much longer. Fences were pulled in by the time Aaron played. By Barry Bonds' day, baseball was doing everything in its power to see that records were broken so that interest in the game was prolonged. Balls were livelier. Bats were of better quality. Pitching mounds were lower. Bonds' use of steroids is well-documented. We have seen what steroids have done for other hitters, Mark McGuire and Rafael Palmeiro, for example. The big difference between Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds is seen in their batting averages. Ruth was a .342 lifetime hitter. Bonds' career average is .299. Bab Ruth is inexplicable. He did not look like an athlete. He loved the night life. Yet, he hit home runs when no one else did. His season totals were often higher than those of other clubs. Ruth was an outstanding pitcher for several seasons, compiling a 94-46 win/loss record with an ERA of 2.28. Babe Ruth is still the baseball player against whom all others are measured. Babe Ruth http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ruthba01.shtml Edited November 2, 2006 by Jim Colyer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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