Which MLB Legend Hit the Ball Harder, Jimmie Foxx or Babe Ruth?
By: Andrew Martin
Tags: Baseball, Sports, History, MLB, Culture

In order from L-to-R Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Al Simmons (Image via Wikipedia)

Which MLB Legend Hit the Ball Harder, Jimmie Foxx or Babe Ruth?

2 of the most dangerous hitters in baseball history were both feared and respected by their opponents

Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx are both still on the short list of the greatest sluggers in baseball history, despite neither having hit an official home run in more than 75 years. Their prodigious drives struck fear in opposing players and inspired awe in adoring fans who clung with rapt attention to their every at bat. But which of them hit the ball harder according to other players?

Ruth is the original home run king. Converted from being a pitcher, the left-handed hitter bashed 714 long balls during a legendary 22-year big-league career. In the process, he became an American icon, not just in sports but also culture, given his larger-than-life personality.

With bulging biceps, Foxx looked the part of an imposing hitter, but likewise started as a hurler (as a schoolboy) before settling into the role of a lineup stalwart who punished opposing pitchers throughout his 20-year career. With 534 career home runs, the right-handed hitter lags behind Ruth but was also done as a regular player by the time he was only 33.

In 1933, both players were simultaneously active and The Brooklyn Daily Eagle asked around to see what others thought in regards to which of them was the most intimidating batter who struck the ball with the most oomph.

Ski Melillo, second baseman for the St. Louis Browns immediately knew his answer:

“If you ask just the infielders, they will tell you that no batter can handcuff a second baseman with his line drives and wicked grounders as Babe Ruth does. It was Babe that drove the infielders back on the grass when he came to bat. We do not play him as deeply as we used to, but if Babe tried for more singles and doubles than homers we probably would.”

Outfielder Goose Goslin, who was in the midst of a great career that eventually sent him to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where he joined Ruth and Foxx, had a different opinion:

“Foxx for mine. At least, he has hit many a ball on a line over my head in left field. Take one day at Shibe Park last spring. [Bump] Hadley was pitching. He gave Jimmy a fastball and Foxx turned it into an even faster one. It not only cleared that two-decker stand in left but Somerset Avenue as well and finally came down on top of the roof of a house on the opposite side of the street. I never saw a ball hit so far buy a right-handed batter.”

At the end of the day, there are three certainties in this matter. One is that we will never have a definitive answer; just anecdotal speculation. Secondly, you can’t go wrong in supporting either player, as both were ridiculously prodigious with their bats. Finally, even though there is no way to offer ultimate proof in support of either strongman, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to hash over and listen to some of the old-time stories and gently offer an opinion. After all, isn’t that what baseball history is all about?