Here is how they did during the years in which Babe Ruth pitched against Ty Cobb.
1915 – Boston won the pennant; Detroit was second, 2 ½ games back. Cobb led the league in batting with .369. Ruth was 18-8. Against Ruth, Cobb was 5-for-13 for .385.
1916 – Boston won the pennant; Detroit was third, 4 games behind. Cobb’s .371 was second to Tris Speaker’s .386. Ruth was 23-12. Against Ruth’s pitching, Cobb was 8-for-25 for .320.
1917 – Chicago won the pennant. Boston was second, 9 games out. Detroit was fourth, 12 ½ games back. Cobb led the league in batting with .383. Ruth was 24-13, his victory total second only to Chicago’s Eddie Cicotte, who had 28. Against Ruth, Cobb was 8-for-22 for .367.
1918 – Boston won the pennant; Detroit was 7th. Cobb led the league with .382. Ruth was 13-7. He had now started playing the outfield when he wasn’t pitching. Cobb was 2-for-7 for .286 in only two confrontations with Ruth the pitcher.
1919 – Chicago won the pennant. Detroit was fourth. Boston was sixth. Cobb led the league in batting with .384. Ruth was 9-5. In three meetings, Cobb was 8-for-12 against Ruth for .667. This was the last year Ruth was used regularly as a pitcher.
1921 – New York won the pennant. Detroit was sixth. Cobb’s .389 average was second to his teammate Harry Heilmann’s .394. Ruth was 2-0 as a pitcher, his final victory coming against Detroit as Cobb went 1-for-5.
TOTALS – Ruth was 12-9 with 14 complete games against the Cobb-led Tigers over six seasons. Cobb’s .381 average against Ruth’s pitching was 14 points better than his lifetime mark.
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