In 1918, Ed Barrow, manager of the Boston Red Sox, faced an interesting dilemma. The Red Sox were a formidable opponent, but he also had access to a player with unparalleled talent: a true unicorn. This 23-year-old pitcher was on pace for another great season, with an ERA of 2.22 and a FIP of 2.75. He had led baseball in ERA in 1916 (1.75, good for an ERA- of 65, which was top five in baseball at the time). Any team would have been fortunate to have had this pitcher in their rotation, as they were perhaps the best left-hander in baseball.

It was also becoming clear that pitching wasn’t the only quality this player has. He was also the best hitting pitcher in baseball at the time, as evidenced by the fact that, in limited outings, he had already established himself as such. This athlete had reached a crossroads in his professional career, and Barrow didn’t know what to do about it. He was good at both hitting and pitching, but he ultimately decided he didn’t want to do both.

Ed Barrow saw this and decided to switch him from his primary position as a pitcher to that of an everyday outfielder. From 1919 until his retirement in 1935, this guy made just 22 appearances on the mound. Meanwhile, he’d end his career as one of baseball’s all-time greats at the plate. We are, of course, referring to the great Bаbe Ruth.

Despite the undeniable meteoric rise to fаme that was Ruth’s career, many questions remain, such as what may have happened had he chosen to remain a pitcher. There’s no way to know for sure, but we can get a sense of what may happen if a premier player in both hitting and pitching were on the field at the same moment. Until 2023, you couldn’t even make this happen in a video game, but now we’re in that year, and Shohei Ohtani has been trying to make the impossible possible.

Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) and Earned Run Average (ERA-) will be our primary metrics here for their simplicity. On September 6 he was scheduled to play, Shohei Ohtani’s 178 wRC+ was second among MLB’s qualified batters. Ohtani is no longer eligible for beginning pitching leaderboards, although his ERA-71 would have placed him fifth.

After finishing last season with an ERA- (59) tied for fifth-best in baseball and a FIP- (also 59) tied for joint-best in all of baseball, he now ranks in the top 15 in wRC+ among qualified hitters. Shohei Ohtani has not only been one of the most dreaded hitters in baseball, but also one of the most intimidating pitchers, and he has maintained this level of performance over the course of multiple seasons after migrating from Japan.

The best way to describe Shohei Ohtani’s performance over the previous couple of seasons is as nothing short of miraculous. If you’ve used Twitter for baseball long enough, you’ve probably heard this iconic Tweet mentioned or had it reposted to your timeline:

Because of Shohei Ohtani’s consistent excellence on the mound and at the plate, the phrase “Tungsten Arm’ O’Doyle” is on the verge of becoming an indelible part of baseball lore. One of the most recent illustrations of the influence of the mythical classic ballplayer on modern baseball culture comes courtesy of the league’s best player.

On August 3, while serving as the DH, Shohei Ohtani collected two singles, two walks, a stolen base, and a home run (his 40th of the season). He also struck out four batters while pitching four shutout innings. Ohtani joined an exclusive group by being the first player in the live-ball era to do this. It’s the kind of thing that players, fans, and spectators of the game only dream of, and yet Ohtani has made it seem perfectly regular throughout his career.

Ohtani Һit his 40th home run of the season in the inning after Carlos Estévez’s go-ahead grand slam, which led to the Angels’ 5-3 loss. The existence of ‘Tungsten Arm’ O’Doyle’s phantom laugh and hysterical laughter at this turn of events cannot be disproved. Nonetheless, this setback in no way diminishes Ohtani’s legendary status. The fact that he is such a tremendous contributor to his team’s success only adds to the mystique of this baseball star. It’s evident that the Angels are losing despite him rather than because of him, so even when he loses, it’s a courageous defeat.

We’re also at a point in Ohtani’s big league career when, for the first time, there’s a ton of genuine curiosity about what lies ahead. Ohtani will almost probably explore free agency this winter, and he’ll have to do so despite the huge challenge of coming back from a second torn UCL. Fortunately, Ohtani appears to have gotten a little lucky with this ιnjury, and he may not need Tommy John surgery. There is still hope for Ohtani’s return to form if he can avoid a second Tommy John surgery.

Shohei Ohtani has shown that he is determined to return to pitching despite his recent setback. He plans to continue his efforts as a two-way player, so it’s in everyone’s best interest that he stays fit. He has the ability and resources to continue making waves in baseball for as long as he wants to. In the 1910s, when Bаbe Ruth could also pitch effectively, baseball had a chance to find out what this was like. After making the decision to improve his batting, Ruth’s career took off.

If his recovery and any further decisions he makes in the offseason go as planned, we may even start to see him contribute to playoff success. It’s great to see Ohtani on the field at all, and when October rolls around, he’ll have an opportunity to shine on baseball’s grandest stage. Until then, Shohei Ohtani will keep bringing about game-changing innovations that we could only have imagined before.