Pete Crow-Armstrong went on a podcast last week and said with a laugh he likes the theory that Babe Ruth never existed. Baseball’s internet treated it like a confession.
“This is gonna be crazy,” the Cubs center fielder told Kristin Cavallari on her show “Let’s Be Honest.” Then he brought up the theory that the sport’s greatest player may never have existed. He picked up the theory from Tayler Saucedo, a Mariners pitcher at the time, who floated it on a podcast in 2024 because he had barely seen any video of Ruth playing. Saucedo said this was a discussion in the Mariners bullpen and that they also decided that Ted Williams’ legendary 500-foot home run never happened either.
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Crow-Armstrong piled on Ruth saying the game has changed so much since then that pitchers back then might as well have been throwing underhand.
Then everybody lost it. One site used the quote to worry about American public education. Another brought up the plague of misinformation. A bunch of them criticized the young Cubs outfielder. It raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers! That’s a lot of coverage for a 24-year-old answering a question about an unpopular opinion on a podcast hosted by somebody from “Laguna Beach.”
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Athletics Lawrence Butler is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Athletics Lawrence Butler is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026.
(Scott Marshall, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Cleveland Guardians mascot Slider interacts with fans during game against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 17, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Washington Nationals right fielder Daylen Lile attempts to catch a ball hit for a single by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jake Mangum during the first inning at PNC Park on April 16, 2026. The Nationals won the game, 8-7.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez wears a special chest protector to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field on April 15, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 13: The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz celebrates a home run in the dugout while wearing a welder’s hood during the 16-5 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 12: Philadelphia Phillies mascot, The Phanatic, entertains fans with local team mascots for a birthday celebration before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 11: The Tampa Bay Rays’ Jonathan Aranda (left) celebrates with Ryan Vilade after hitting a walk-off single against the New York Yankees in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win at Tropicana Field.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez acknowledges the fans after becoming the team’s all-time leader in games played against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on April 6, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A rainbow appears during the fourth inning during the game between the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 6, 2026.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A fan dresses as the Pope claps during the first inning of the game between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at Rate Field on April 5, 2026. The White Sox won the game, 3-0, to complete a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin celebrates with a traffic cone after making his major-league debut in a 5-4 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 3, 2026.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A young Red Sox fan meets Tessie the Boston Red Sox mascot before the Red Sox’s home opener against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on April 3, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) and center fielder Jakob Marsee celebrate a victory against the Chicago White Sox at loanDepot Park on April 1, 2026.
(Jim Rassol, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Fans try to catch a solo home run hit by the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman as San Diego Padres left fielder Nick Castellanos looks on during the third inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Philadelphia Phillies mascot The Phillie Phanatic entertains fans during the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on March 31, 2026.
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Toronto Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto gets doused with ice water by teammates after a win over the Athletics at Rogers Centre on March 29, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suárez blows a bubble as he waits to bat against the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park on March 28, 2026.
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The St. Louis Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt is doused with water by teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the 10th inning at Busch Stadium on March 28, 2026.
(Jeff Curry, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Fans react as the Milwaukee Brewers’ Jake Bauers homers against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field on March 26, 2026.
(Jovanny Hernandez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Two F-35C planes from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron NINE Detachment Edwards Air Force Base perform a flyover before the Opening Day game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on March 26, 2026.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
The video thing has an actual answer, if any Millennial or Gen-Zer wants it.
Film in the 1920’s was shot on nitrate, which is chemically unstable, burns easily and eventually turns to dust on its own. Studios also destroyed and recycled old reels, because before television there was no money in keeping last year’s pictures. The Library of Congress studied it in 2013 and found that 70% of the roughly 11,000 American silent features made between 1912 and 1929 are completely gone. Only 14% still exist. Newsreel crews shot a couple of minutes of highlights, not whole games, because nobody was broadcasting anything.
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The written record of Ruth is voluminous.
Every game he played was covered by competing newspapers in every American League city, with box scores and photographs and league records to go with them. Crow-Armstrong’s real question about Ruth’s greatness compared to the modern era is an old argument in clubhouses over the decades. Adam Ottavino took flack a few years ago for saying he could strike Ruth out. It’s a time-honored tradition to argue about the eras of baseball players.
And for those paying attention, Crow-Armstrong is making a case for being considered among the great young players of his generation.
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He leads the Cubs in homers (26), RBI (69) and hits (126). He has 29 stolen bases, including stealing third base in the bottom of the 11th inning on Thursday. He pressured the Blue Jays and forced Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela into a throwing error to score the winning run.
Crow-Armstrong is suddenly in the debate for the National League MVP, ironically battling the player that they call the modern day Babe Ruth: Shohei Ohtani.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pete Crow-Armstrong jokes Babe Ruth didn’t exist. Why the footage is gone
