LOOK OF RUTH

TO FIND A PLAYER LIKE SHOHEI OHTANI, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK 100 YEARS. HERE'S A COMPARISON OF HOW LONG IT TOOK THE ANGELS' ROOKIE AND THE BAMBINO TO REACH THE SAME MILESTONES

A MERE 37,882 days separates their debuts, but the career starts of Shohei Ohtani (debut: March 29, 2018) and Babe Ruth (July 11, 1914) are closely intertwined. Just six games into the season, Ohtani became the first player since Ruth to win a start and then homer in his next game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Both needed less than 10 games in their age-23 seasons—Ohtani's first campaign and Ruth's fifth—to homer in three straight contests. Ruth pitched and batted regularly until 1919, when he focused solely on hitting. How long Ohtani's two-way excellence can continue is anyone's guess.

BABE RUTH

HITTING

SHOHEI OHTANI

THREE TOTAL HOME RUNS

21 GAMES IN THE LINEUP [BABE RUTH]

4 GAMES [SHOHEI OHTANI]

FIRST HOME RUN

18 AT BATS [BABE RUTH]

6 AT BATS [SHOHEI OHTANI]

HOMERS IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES

68 GAMES IN THE LINEUP [BABE RUTH]

4 GAMES [SHOHEI OHTANI]

PITCHING

FIRST WIN

1 START [BABE RUTH]

1 START [SHOHEI OHTANI]

HOMERS IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES AND 10-PLUS STRIKEOUT START IN THE SAME SEASON

BY THE 61ST GAME [BABE RUTH]

10TH GAME [SHOHEI OHTANI]

FIRST 10-PLUS STRIKEOUT START

11 STARTS [BABE RUTH]

2 STARTS [SHOHEI OHTANI]