Sat Sep 21, 2024 12:17 pm
Ruth did it with all white isn't the same
The level of pitching in Negro Leagues was far behind the level of hitting, and certainly across the board, not on par with MLB pitching.....any peruse of record books (Negro and MLB) shows that
especially if you look not only at Negro League pitching records, but also MLB hitters whose careers spanned integration....
(ie. Musial, Williams, etc.).....their stats didn't decrease or decline after black pitchers entered the league
no racism or exclusion is fair at anytime, anywhere, in any walk of life
but punishing or belittling MLB hitters pre-integration is not only unfair to them (they didn't make the rules), but also isn't supported by statistical evidence....
lastly, this isn't meant to sound racist, just factual....there are only 2 black pitchers voted in the HOF since integration....Gibson and Jenkins...8 more Negro league pitchers were added (who never faced MLB hitters).....
while doubt there is a direct connection, where there's smoke, there's fire.....certainly, the number of African American position players in the HOF is disproportionate to the # of HOF black pitchers....why only God could say
I do however, agree with your comment about any steroids user(s)....they took themselves out of consideration for anything, once they decided to cheat
however, Griffey's kingdome wasn't any more or less impactful than ruth's yankee stadium, or any other hitter's home park that favored offense.....
I also don't think Ohtani would have as low as 30 sb this year.....he didn't pitch, and could concentrate solely on offense (even as rehabbing his arm), and this season, all the stars aligned for him......I could agree that he probably had more due to new rules, but i'd give him at least 40, based on the "stars aligning" this season,
regardless, a magical season we all were fortunate enough to witness.....as a Dodger fan here, even better ;- )
didn't mean to offend anyone, and certainly any former players...couldn't be prouder as a Dodger fan that Jackie (with Rickey's help, but also credit to others who tried before to integrate and were refused, ie. Veeck, et al), broke the color barrier....