SUMMARY
- Shohei Ohtani has achieved the rare feat of winning unanimous league MVP awards twice, becoming the only player in baseball history to do so.
- In 2023, Ohtani broke Babe Ruth's 88-year-old record for strikeouts by a player with 100+ career home runs.
As the great Babe Ruth once said, “You just can’t beat a person who never gives up.” Well, it seems like the Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani has taken it to heart and run with it.
A renowned name amongst baseball fanatics, Ohtani isn’t just rewriting records, he’s making new ones. Being the only player in baseball history to achieve the rare feat of unanimous league MVP awards not once but twice, he’s undoubtedly one of the best out there in the ballpark.
His feats are immeasurable in a way that they echo the greatest legend of the game, yes, the same Babe Ruth. Both players, time and eras apart, have snagged the baseball world’s heart by storm with their two-way plays. Now the question lingers, why is Sho-time compared to the Bambino so often?
Similarities between Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani
When the Halos lost their superstar to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a groundbreaking $700 million deal, the largest in baseball history, it marked a seismic shift. The deal underscored the illustrious baseball career the 29-year-old has had. It rightfully swayed experts to view him on par with Babe Ruth.
Now, which Babe Ruth records has Shohei Ohtani rewritten? Sho-time made history in 2023 by breaking Ruth’s 88-year-old record for strikeouts by a player with 100+ career home runs. He also joined an elite club in MLB history, matching Ruth as one of only two players to hit 10+ home runs and strike out 35+ batters in a single month. Despite Ruth’s towering 714 career home runs, Ohtani’s dynamic play has narrowed the gap.
And that’s not where the 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP, stopped rewriting history. In June of the same year, he surpassed Ruth’s legendary record of 13 homers in a single month by smashing an incredible 14 home runs.
This is so special. Of course it happened on a night that he’s dominating as a pitcher. We’ve never seen anything like this and watching him break record after record never gets old.
Congratulations Shohei Ohtani 👏
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) August 19, 2021
Despite his remarkable streak, Shohei Ohtani is still chasing the ultimate MLB triumph. Ruth’s seven World Series titles stand unmatched in his illustrious career. And after the 2023 season, a question remains in the minds of every baseball fan – what about Ohtani’s right UCL tear that ended his 2023 pitching season?
Dr. Neal Attrache, the physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has indicated that Sho-time would be ready to hit “without any restrictions come opening day of 2024” and be a two-way player once again by 2025, according to CBC.
The question of whether Ohtani can surpass the legendary Babe Ruth remains uncertain after his injury. However, taking a cue from the Bambino himself, Ohtani isn’t even on the same map as ‘giving up’. Fans might just witness a phoenix rising from the ashes as Ohtani heals up.
