Shohei Ohtani predicted not to break Babe Ruth's record by ex-Yankees catcher
Since Shohei Ohtani's rise to stardom in the MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers star has been compared to the legendary Babe Ruth on numerous occasions. Like Ohtani, Ruth also pitched and hit during his playing days.
Babe Ruth started his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox in 1914 and went on to play for the New York Yankees before retiring with the Boston Braves in 1935. In a playing career that spanned 22 years, Ruth pitched in ten MLB seasons and recorded a total of 1,221.1 innings in that period.
On Saturday's episode of Foul Territory, co-host and former Yankees catcher Erik Kratz debated whether Shohei Ohtani can break Babe Ruth's record for innings pitched. He also stated his reasons behind his argument, saying:
"You know how many innings he's (Ohtani) averaged? 190. I'm saying, if he pitched healthy his 32 starts, that's what he would get out to. He's never made 32 starts, so he's always going to be under 28. Let's say they get 130 innings out of him, he's well short. It's just not going to be close."
"One, it's a different era. Two, his value as a hitter. If it even ticks down a little bit because he's pitching, they're going to be like... I would even say I don't ever see him getting over 25 starts in the regular season. The Dodgers paid $70 million a year for him. But they also have to, for the entire 10 years of his contract, figure out another piece of their rotation because he can't throw every five days."
So far, Shohei Ohtani has pitched in five seasons in his MLB career after being restricted to hitting duties in 2019 and 2024 due to two separate Tommy John surgeries. As of now, he has accumulated 481.2 innings pitched in the MLB and is a long way from Babe Ruth's record.
Lars Nootbar heaps praise on Shohei Ohtani's presonality off the field
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar has praised Shohei Ohtani for being a great person both on and off the field. Both players represented Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
Ohtani made an indelible mark on Nootbar, who says (via The Players' Tribune):
"Shohei Ohtani is an even better person than he is a baseball player... To be that talented, and then, at the same time, that humble and kind? It really was inspiring to me."
Nootbar is of mixed heritage, brought up by a father of Dutch descent and a Japanese mother in California. Hence, when he became the first player born outside Japan to represent the country in the World Baseball Classic, it took him some time to rub shoulders with his teammates.
Luckily, Ohtani was there to help him along the way, which has since resulted in a lasting friendship, even as they play against each other in the MLB today.