TBNL: Judge's pace, Dobbins's story, Betsy Jochum passes

Babe Ruth’s 1923 season is — at least by Baseball Reference’s version of the metric — the single greatest offensive season in MLB history.

Ruth batted .393/.545/.764 (239 OPS+) on the year with 41 home runs, 130 RBI, and a career-high 17 stolen bases. Ruth led the American League in runs, walks, homers, RBI, OBP, SLG, and OPS en route to winning the Most Valuable Player Award (the only one he’d win in his career). B-Ref has him being worth 14.1 WAR that season.

The Yankees have played 66 games so far this season (entering play on Thursday), with Aaron Judge appearing in each one. He’s leading the league in hits, runs, and RBI while hitting .394/.490/.779. Judge has already totaled 5.6 WAR on the year and is on pace to top Ruth’s mark.

Fathers and their stories

Rookie right-hander Hunter Dobbins added some fuel to the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry before the teams matched up last weekend, telling the Boston Herald that he would “rather retire than ever play for the Yankees.”

Few questioned it in the immediate aftermath of the comment, but further probing has uncovered why Dobbins has such a distaste for New York: His dad was twice drafted by the team and was later traded away to the Diamondbacks.

It would be an entirely plausible story if it were true.

The New York Post did some sleuthing, including reaching out to both the Yankees and D-backs organizations. None of it was accurate. It’s just a tale a father told a son.

Lance Dobbins did indeed pitch professionally in 1996 and 1997, but only in independent leagues (a season and a half in the Big South League and a season in the Frontier League). The right-hander posted an 8.64 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 77 walks over 91.2 IP.

The younger Dobbins has since admitted it’s just a story he’d been told. He “didn’t go fact check his dad” so he had always assumed it to be true.

Speaking of Boston ballplayers and their dads a moment, newly called-up outfielder Roman Anthony is getting plenty of attention for baseball reasons. There’s also a fun tidbit circulating on social media, courtesy of Anthony’s Italian heritage.

Roman’s father’s full name is Anthony Anthony. His grandfather was Anthony Anthony. His brother, too, is Anthony Anthony.

Betsy Jochum, RIP

60 players took part in the inaugural season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1943. The last surviving member of that group, Betsy Jochum, passed away at the end of May at her home in Indiana. She was 104.

Jochum played for the South Bend Blue Sox for nearly half of the AAGPBL’s lifetime, opting to retire after the 1949 season rather than accept a trade to the Peoria Redwings.

According to Jochum’s obituary in The New York Times, she initially starred as an outfielder with speed and a strong arm before eventually moving to the mound. She batted .273 and stole 66 bases that first season. The next year, she led the league with a .296 average while stealing a remarkable 127 bases.

On the mound, Jochum was 14-13 with 103 strikeouts over 215 innings of work.

Tough week for the Tigers

The Tigers have received their share of major injury news this past week.

One of the organization’s top prospects, Bryce Rainer, dislocated his right shoulder diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt early last week. Rainer reportedly saw multiple specialists before undergoing season-ending surgery on Saturday.

Rainer turns 20 next month and was the 11th-overall selection in the 2024 Draft. The shortstop was hitting .288/.383/.448 through the first 149 PA of his pro career.

Of more immediate impact on Detroit’s MLB roster, the team announced on Wednesday that rookie right-hander Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery. He will miss the remainder of this season and likely most, if not all, of next season.

The 22-year-old entered the season as one of the favorites to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He made ten starts for the Tigers, posting a 4-1 record and 4.23 ERA (95 ERA+) before feeling discomfort during a start in late May.

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• On Wednesday against the Marlins, Andrew McCutchen hit the 241st home run of his Pirates career to move into third place on the club’s all-time list. Only Willie Stargell (475) and Ralph Kiner (301) hit more than the 38-year-old McCutchen.