MLB News: Revealing Statistic Puts Joe DiMaggio Ahead of Late Great Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson in the Baseball GOAT Debate

Shaping the Yankees team, three legends—Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio, and Babe Ruth—were key figures. Whether it was Jackson’s insane hitting, Ruth’s 50 home runs in a single season, or Di Maggio’s fewest strikeouts in 13 years, they have been icons for the MLB fraternity. More addition, the big three were also included in the elite list of the MLB’s Hall of Fame. However, comparing the three legends, former MLB coach Jim Koenigsberger gave Joe an edge regarding strikeouts.

He expressed his views on Social media by saying, ”Reggie Jackson struck out a staggering 2,597 times, most in the history of major league baseball, which goes back about 140 years. Babe Ruth struck out 1,330  times, almost exactly half of Jackson. By contrast, Joe DiMaggio had just 369 strikeouts in his 13 years with the Yankees. That’s an average of 34 per season, far less than Jackson’s average of 149.”

Supporting the former coach’s statement, another interesting statistic will blow your mind. On the baseball diamond, Dimaggio struck out just 369 times in a massive 6,821 at-bats, just eight more than his total home runs. This is remarkably one of the lowest numbers for any hard-hitting batter.  Also, his ratio of each strike-out to home run was just one-to-one, another record, better than most present-day smashers. 

On the other hand, in the last 35 years after Reggie Jackson’s retirement, he is still the highest strikeout player at 2,597. In his 1977 era, when he was at his career peak, pitchers struck out 5 per 9. Compared with today’s stats of 8.7 in 2023, the early baseball era saw fewer strikeouts. Even Babe Ruth’s strikeout was low compared to Jacksons. But, when it comes to the least, Di Maggio still holds the crown. 

Aside the least Strikeouts, Joe Dimaggio was a complete Baseball player

In the mid-twentieth century, when Americans found their interest building in baseball, Joe Dimaggio was still a popular figure. Known as the New York Yankees clipper, he won nine massive World Series titles between a span of 1936 to 1951. More to it, he got the award for the Most Valuable American League three times. If that’s not all, he holds one of the most remarkable stat in baseball history, having a 56-game hitting streak. 

Over a span of his 13-year MLB career with the Yankees, he kept a constant batting average of .325, .579 slugging percentage, .398 on-base percentage, scored 1,537 RBIs, and hit a staggering 361 home runs. In the eyes of a few, such as Jim Murray, Dimaggio played the game at least a couple of levels above other baseball players. While most players were pieces of a statistical sheet, Joe having the stats was a walking art of grace, and his batting was admirable. 

Even standing in the batting box, he was a picture of calmness. He stood without showing any emotions, with no major movements, and kept his hands still for a hit. Only at the last moment, when the pitcher threw the ball, that was the time when his hard-hitting capabilities came into play. In the end, Jackson and Ruth were gold-standard MLB players. But when it comes to setting astonishing records, such as the lowest strikeouts, beating Joe Di Maggio, even with modern-day players like Ohtani, Judge and Soto, seems to be a tough task.