How Many Strikeouts Did Babe Ruth Have in His Career?

The answer to the question how many strikeouts did Babe Ruth have in his career is 1,856.

However how many strikeouts did Babe Ruth have in his career is a bit of trick question because Babe Ruth was primarily a pitcher for the first 5 years of his baseball career. So Babe Ruth recorded strikeouts as both a hitter and a pitcher.

Here is a quick breakdown of Babe Ruth's strikeout numbers as both a pitcher and a hitter.

Babe Ruth Strikeouts as a Pitcher

Regular Season

488 total strikeouts

During the regular season Babe Ruth pitched in 163 games and started 148 of those games. He struck out 488 total batters in 1,221.1 innings pitched.

World Series

8 total strikeouts

Babe Ruth started 3 games in the World Series and struck out 8 batters in 31 innings pitched. In one of the games he pitched 14 innings and he also won all three games.

Babe Ruth Strikeouts as a Hitter

Regular Season

1,330 total strikeouts

During regular season play Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 total times in 2,503 games played and 8,399 official at-bats. He lead the league 5 times in strikeouts but never struck out more than 93 times in a season. His strikeout ratio is once every 15.8% of the time he had an at-bat.

World Series

30 total strikeouts

In 41 World Series games Babe Ruth struck out 30 times in 129 official at bats. His strikeout ratio in the World Series is 23.3% of the time he had an at-bat. So he struck out at a much higher rate in the World Series compared to regular season play.

Interestingly Babe Ruth also hit home runs at a much higher rate during the World Series compared to the regular season. He hit home runs at a 8.5% rate in the regular baseball season and at a 11.6% rate in the World Series.

Overall Babe Ruth struck out at a 48% higher rate in the World Series and also hit home runs at a 37% higher rate in the World Series versus what he did during the regular season. He was obviously swinging for the fences during the World Series and trying to hit a home run in every at-bat as true champions in life do when they compete on the highest levels.

How Many Strikeouts Did Babe Ruth Have in His Career?

488 strikeouts as pitcher in regular season

8 strikeouts as pitcher in World Series

1,330 strikeouts as a hitter in regular season

30 strikeouts as a hitter in the World Series

Add them all up and Babe Ruth had 1,856 strikeouts in his magnificent baseball career.

For more see Babe Ruth and the World Series

How Many Double Plays Did Babe Ruth Hit Into in His Career?

How Many Stolen Bases Did Babe Ruth Have in His Career?

How Many Triples Did Babe Ruth Have in His Career?

How Often Did Babe Ruth Hit a Home Run Per At-Bat?

Source:

Baseball-Reference