Sporting News: The 50 Greatest Seasons in Sports History

With this ranking, we looked through The Sporting News’ long history — we were founded in 1886 — to find the greatest individual seasons in sports history. They might sometimes lack the drama of the moments, but they showcase the level of dominance needed to succeed over the grind of a season.

1. Shohei Ohtani, 2021
Numbers (as a hitter): 46 homers, 100 RBI, 26 SB, 158 OPS+, 4.9 bWAR
Numbers (as a pitcher): 3.18 ERA, 23 GS, 130 1/3 IP, 98 H, 156 K, 4.1 bWAR

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 10-22-2021

Pittsburgh Press, October 22, 1921:

Babe Ruth is a repentant fence-buster today. The home-run king has given up his barnstorming tour and is expected to go to Chicago in a few days to see Judge Landis and try to explain matters.

Ruth quit his tour at Scranton, Pa., after a long conference with Col. Til Houston of the Yankees. He is said to have admitted to Huston that he saw his error in openly defying the baseball rules and baseball’s high commissioner.

If he was headed to Chicago anyway, maybe he could have stopped off to play some exhibition games in Toledo and Fort Wayne.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 10-11-2021

Alaska Daily Empire, October 11, 1921:

GIANTS AND YANKEES EVEN UP WORLD SERIES; BARNES PLACES MYSTICAL SPELL ON THE YANKS

Victory perched on the bats of the Giants this afternoon when the Yankees pitching staff caved-in and engulfed the American Leaguers in an 8 to 5 defeat.
...
Barnes pitching cast a mystical spell over the Yankees, 10 of whom were erased at the plate by strike outs.

The Giants had won three out of the last four to tie the best-of-nine series 3-3. Things fell apart for the American League champions when Babe Ruth scraped his elbow stealing third base in Game Two. The site became infected and forced the Babe out of the lineup for most of the rest of the series.