Babe Ruth would've had more home runs

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by pdxblue

Pitching in Ruth's era was ridiculously too easy to hit. If Bonds and Ruth had to switch era's to bat in, Bonds would have about 3000 home runs, and Ruth might have 50!

That's just not even remotely true.

1927 NEW YORK YANKEES - Pitching statistics for WS and Regular Season:

SERIES STATS | REGULAR SEASON
Player G ERA W-L SV CG IP H ER BB SO | W-L IP ERA WHIP SO SV
+-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+------+---+-
Wilcy Moore 2 0.84 1-0 1 1 10.7 11 1 2 2 | 19-7 213 2.28 1.15 75 13
*Herb Pennock 1 1.00 1-0 0 1 9.0 3 1 0 1 | 19-8 210 3.00 1.30 51 2
George Pipgras 1 2.00 1-0 0 1 9.0 7 2 1 2 | 10-3 166 4.11 1.35 81
Waite Hoyt 1 4.91 1-0 0 0 7.3 8 4 1 2 | 22-7 256 2.63 1.15 86 1

I'm pretty sure that Grover Cleveland Alexander and Walter "Big Train" Johnson would take exception as well. Johnson threw 100 mph +. Pitching hasn't changed much since these guys pitched. If what you said were true, everyone would have hit 714 home runs. Instead, only the Babe did, out of all the other players of his era. Look at the ERA's of the '27 Yankee pitching staff.... 3 out of 4 with ERA's at 3.00 or better. Nowdays, anything under 4.00 is considered pretty good.

Bonds would fair no better in those days than he does today, and Ruth would still be the Sultan of Swat in the Bronx right now!

[BlueLawyer]

I'm not sure there can ever be a valid comparison.

Ruth began his career in the dead-ball era, primarily as a pitcher.

Bonds MAY HAVE taken steroids; Ruth most certainly did not.

By all accounts, Ruth did nothing for conditioning. He didn't work out and he certainly did not watch what he ate.

Bonds plays in a league with 16 teams (and therefore 16 parks) plus interleague games. Ruth played 7 other teams and only saw a National League club (until he finished his career with the Braves) in the World Series.

Bonds never played in Forbes Field, where Ruth hit his last two home runs. Ty Cobb was quoted as saying, "No one will ever hit a baseball out of this park," when looking at Forbes. Bonds never played in the Polo Grounds, either, Connie Mack Field, etc., etc.

Maybe the only valid comparison is how many HR per AB Bonds has in Yankee Stadium, Old Tiger Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, which, I am pretty sure, are the only fields he and Ruth have both hit in, and compare Ruth's HR per AB in the same parks. Even then, you might get a decent argument, because the position of closer had not been invented when Ruth played.

What I am more interested in is how Bonds would compare with Hank Aaron, or even his godfather, Willie Mays.

Strikes and outs!

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by JIGGY

Regardless, Babe Ruth was not HALF the hitter that Barry Bonds is!

ruth wasnt even 1/1000000th the steroid taker bonds is either
barry bonds head is the most swollen head ive ever seen, ever. ive seen quite a few fat heads in my day.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by BlueLawyer

Bonds never played in Forbes Field, where Ruth hit his last two home runs. Ty Cobb was quoted as saying, "No one will ever hit a baseball out of this park," when looking at Forbes.

Forbes Field was only 300 feet down the right field line. You sure that he wasn't talking about Braves Field which was 402 feet down the lines and 550 feet to center field?