Ohtani & Ruth
The Incomparable Comp
There is no player like Shohei Ohtani today, arguably ever. But like all sports, baseball is debated and enjoyed through comparisons, “comps”. Ohtani’s singular achievements as a 2-way player puts him in a category of his own. The only other player in the history of baseball that comes close to comparison is Babe Ruth. While it may seem like a media dream to have names like Shohei Ohtani and Babe Ruth share the same headline, the comparison comes with challenges.
At the heart of all sports comparisons are statistics. Reputable stats are required to tell a reputable story. When the stats being used for comparison are over 100 years old, their quality and accuracy come into question. And when you’re comparing two legends of the game, the stakes could not be higher. In these moments our clients turn to us for historical context and certainty. A moment like this came early in the 2023 MLB season as Ohtani approached his 500th strikeout. Reaching this milestone would put him in company with Ruth, the only other player in AL/NL history to have 500 strikeouts and 100 home runs. The question was not if Ohtani would match and eventually beat Ruth’s record, but when. Baseball fans and media outlets scrutinized and debated how many career strikeouts Ruth actually had, making it difficult to pinpoint Ohtani’s moment worth touting. MLB and ESPN turned to Elias for an authoritative “Official” response:
Elias Sets the Record Straight
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Make room for Shohei! Ohtani joins Babe in another club
[Ohtani] made history with his 13th strikeout by becoming the 10th Japanese-born pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts. And, of course, he joined Ruth in the 500 strikeout/100 homer club. Ruth hit 714 home runs and was credited with 501 strikeouts as a pitcher, per the Elias Sports Bureau. (Ruth's totals on certain stat sites show 488 career strikeouts, but that does not match up when adding up the totals from his game logs. There are a number of discrepancies in terms of record-keeping from baseball’s early years, and Elias’s tally is considered the official number.)
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Shohei Ohtani joins Babe Ruth in the MLB history books after latest feat
When it comes to baseball records, there is no better company to be alongside than the great Babe Ruth and, after notching his 500th MLB strikeout on Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani joined a prestigious club. […]
To match his homers, Ruth threw 501 strikeouts in his career. Per MLB.com, the stats across various websites which have him down with 488 career K’s are inaccurate with the Elias Sports Bureau’s stat of 501 strikeouts the correct figure.
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Shohei Ohtani joins Babe Ruth in exclusive club with 500 strikeouts as a pitcher and 100 homers as a hitter
With that strikeout, Ohtani joined Babe Ruth as the only players in baseball history with 500 strikeouts as a pitcher and 100 home runs as a hitter. Here is Ohtani's 500th career strikeout. He has 134 career home runs as a hitter.
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Shohei Ohtani checks off another Ruthian mark, but Angels fall to Astros
On Tuesday, Ohtani became the player with the most pitching strikeouts among players to also hit at least 100 career home runs. The two-way star has 134 career home runs.
Ruth’s career lasted 22 years, though he pitched during just 10 seasons. He finished with 501 career pitching strikeouts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau — the statistical entity that Major League Baseball follows — and 714 home runs. (Different stats websites cite Ruth as having just 488 career strikeouts.) Ohtani now has 507 career strikeouts in just 395 2/3 innings.
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#Angels Shohei Ohtani has reached 502 career pitching strikeouts, which surpasses Babe Ruth's career total (per @EliasSports).
Ohtani now has the most pitching strikeouts among players to hit at least 100 career home runs.
[Insert fish story of verifying Babe’s strikeout record]
The Elias Sports Bureau has been publishing baseball stats since 1913, earning the Official Statistician title for the NL in 1916. Despite Ruth playing in the AL (1914-1935), Elias faithfully recorded his stats, along the rest of the AL, unofficially. Fast forward 100+ years and Elias continues to validate and record Major League Baseball’s official stats.
[Transition into talking about our stats validation process. Technology has changed but our accounting principles have remained the same.]