share-square-636837 "If I should see Torriente walking up the other side of the street, I would say, 'There walks a ballclub.'" -- Indianapolis ABCs manager C.I. Taylor Few players in baseball history have received such universal admiration from their counterparts coinciding with such minimal mainstream recognition as Cristóbal Torriente. He was nicknamed the âCuban Babe Ruthâ (or, as some quipped back, Ruth was the âAmerican Cristóbal Torrienteâ), partly for his legendary, almost-mythic outhomering of Ruth in a head-to-head series in Cuba, but mostly for his all-around excellence. Torriente, a dual threat known mostly for his bat that never slumped, did everything with ease. He hit for power. He hit to all fields. He had deceptive speed, making him an elite player on the basepaths and especially in center field.