David Justice: 'Babe Ruth played against farmers,' Ohtani is better

Retired MLB outfielder David Justice believes Shohei Ohtani is better than Babe Ruth because the level of competition is so much higher now than it was when the latter played.

"He was better than Babe Ruth," Justice told TMZ Sports. "Babe Ruth played against farmers. They pitched the whole game back then ... He only played against one race. You didn't play against none of the Negro League players. You didn't play against none of the Asian players. None of the Latin players."

Ruth logged more than 1,200 innings as a pitcher and set the all-time home run record that stood for almost 40 years during his Hall of Fame career.

Meanwhile, Ohtani is a front-runner for the American League MVP this season thanks to his league-leading 40 home runs and .637 slugging percentage, as well as an 8-1 record and 2.79 ERA as a pitcher. However, his ability to thrive in both roles for an extended period - as Ruth did - remains to be seen.

"You still got to give Babe credit because he was dominating who he was playing against. It isn't his fault he played against them ... I don't want it to sound like I'm hating on Babe. I'm giving extra love to Ohtani," said Justice.

- With h/t to Starting 9