ESPN commentator Chris "Mad Dog" Russo strongly criticized Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong for comments suggesting Babe Ruth might not have been real, calling the remarks "derogatory" and a "disgrace."
During a recent discussion on "First Take," Russo expressed his frustration with Crow-Armstrong's hypothetical scenario, where the Cubs star pondered if Babe Ruth, despite his legendary status, "just never existed." Crow-Armstrong had stated, "We always talk about how the game is evolving, and people may as well have been underhanding the ball to that guy, and he's still regarded as one of the best players ever. You might as well dive further into it and be like, well maybe he just never existed."
Russo countered these sentiments by highlighting Ruth's unparalleled statistical achievements, emphasizing that no other player in Ruth's era approached his home run totals. "Nobody hit home runs like Babe Ruth. Say what you want about [Shohei] Ohtani, we understand that he’s a unicorn. Babe Ruth is so good it’s mind boggling," Russo argued. He pointed out that Ruth hit 27 home runs over 500 feet, a feat he claimed Barry Bonds never achieved. Russo also noted that in 1920, Ruth's 54 home runs exceeded the totals of seven out of the eight MLB teams that year, and he repeated this dominance in his 60-homer season in 1927.
Russo, a self-proclaimed baseball purist, voiced his irritation with contemporary athletes and media figures who he believes disparage older generations of players. "It drives me crazy when I hear today’s athletes and media guys who are 30 years old, who disparage the old-time guys," he stated. "It drives me crazy when people think the baseball player in 1927 is not nearly as good as the baseball player today. Are you crazy?"
Russo further lauded Ruth's all-around abilities, suggesting he would have been a Hall of Famer as a pitcher alone, in addition to his hitting prowess. Ruth retired with 714 home runs, a record that stood until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. He also holds all-time MLB records for slugging percentage (.690) and OPS (1.164). While pitching full-time for the Boston Red Sox, Ruth posted a 2.19 ERA before transitioning to a primarily hitting role with the New York Yankees, where he pitched only 31 innings.
The controversy arose in the context of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, a player known for his two-way abilities, recently visiting Washington D.C. to celebrate the team's World Series championship. During the visit, President Donald Trump compared Ohtani to Babe Ruth. This comparison may have prompted Crow-Armstrong's speculative remarks about Ruth's existence.