In 1920, Babe Ruth began his New York Yankees career by hitting 54 home runs, knocking in 135 RBIs (runs batted in) and played in 142 games in the season. Despite the mythology around the name of “Babe Ruth,” there are clear numbers to show how great of a player he was.
If you want to look true mythology, look at the Negro Leagues, where the greatness of its marquee names are not documented as precisely as MLB players, but instead survive on the words of mouths of men and women who watched them play. And if there was a Ruthian figure in the sport, it would be the man called “The Black Babe Ruth,” Josh Gibson. In 1967, two decades after he died in 1947, Sporting News magazine gave credit to Gibson for hitting a 580 ft homerun that landed two feet from the top of the bleachers in the old Yankees Stadium. Record keepers have credited Gibson with only 113 home runs and 361 RBIs during his career. However, unofficial documents indicate that Gibson hit close to 1,000 home runs during his career, and 84 in one season, both records in professional baseball. Gibson’s legacy cannot be found on a stat sheet, but instead from the words of the mouth of people who saw him or played on the field with him. Here a just a few superlatives from his colleagues. “You look for his weakness and while your lookin’ for it, he’s liable to hit 45 home runs.” – Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige “I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron. They were tremendous players, but they were no Josh Gibson.”
– Negro League and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin “No, in my heart it belongs to Josh Gibson… Why doesn’t that count? Why don’t any of those statistics count? … If Josh Gibson is the home run king, recognize it.” – Barry Bonds in 2003 when asked about his single-season home run record. “There is a catcher that any big league club would like to buy for $200,000. His name is Gibson. He can do everything. He hits the ball a mile. He catches so easy he might as well be in a rocking chair. Throws like a rifle. Too bad this Gibson is a colored fellow.” -Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson “Josh was a better power hitter than Babe Ruth, Ted Williams or anybody else I’ve ever seen.” Anything he touched was hit hard. He could power outside pitches to right field. Shortstops would move to left field when Josh came to the plate.” – Negro League pitcher and manager Alonzo Boone “He was a hitter, one of the greatest you ever saw. The most powerful. Never swung hard at the ball either. Just a short swing. Never swung all the way around. He hit them straight. Line drives, but they kept going. ” – Negro League Hall of Fame outfielder Cool Papa Bell “If someone had told me Josh hit the ball a mile, I would have believed them.” – Negro League and MLB outfielder Sam Jethroe Kansas City Monarchs manager Buck O’Neil recalled a conversation during a 1942 game between Gibson and another player named Lick Carlisle after Carlisle was thrown out stealing. “Man, I should have been in scoring position with a steal,” Carlisle said. “Man, when I come to the plate, I’m in scoring position” Gibson replied.