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Former Red Sox listed among ESPN’s top 100 MLB players of all time

By Sean Penney

Boston Red Sox David Ortiz (R) is congratulated his solo homer by teammate Manny Ramirez in the top of the first innings against Japan's Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition game in the Tokyo Dome on March 22, 2008.The Boston Red Sox managed a narrow 6-5 victory against Tigers in an exhibition game here, days ahead of the official season opening games against the Oakland Athletics. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox David Ortiz (R) is congratulated his solo homer by teammate Manny Ramirez in the top of the first innings against Japan's Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition game in the Tokyo Dome on March 22, 2008.The Boston Red Sox managed a narrow 6-5 victory against Tigers in an exhibition game here, days ahead of the official season opening games against the Oakland Athletics. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Red Sox Babe Ruth
WASHINGTON, D.C. – 1919: Babe Ruth poses outside the dugout for a photo, before a game in what looks like Griffith Stadium in Washington in 1919. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) /

Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth – No. 1

Babe Ruth earned the top spot on ESPN’s list of the greatest players in baseball history. This ranking is based primarily on what he did with his bat as a member of the Yankees. Ruth changed the game by ushering in a new wave of power hitters.

Ruth’s 714 home runs are the third-most in MLB history. He led the league in homers 12 times and set a single-season record with 60 homers in 1927, a record that would stand for several decades. His .690 SLG and 1.164 OPS are the best in MLB history.

Ruth won four World Series titles with the Yankees and was the centerpiece of a Murderers’ Row that is considered one of the best lineups ever assembled. He hit .326 with 15 home runs and 33 RBI in 41 postseason games.

While the Sultan of Swat is known mainly for his prolific power, he began his career as a pitcher for the Red Sox. Ruth went 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA during his six seasons in Boston. He anchored the Red Sox rotation for three World Series titles, including the one in 1918 that would eventually serve as the starting point of the “Curse of the Bambino” during Boston’s 86-year title drought.

Selling Ruth to the Yankees was a franchise-crippling mistake that fans will never truly forget. However, with four World Series titles to celebrate since 2004, the bitter memory is at least beginning to dim.

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