-
Childhood
Baseball player Babe Ruth was born February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. Born George Herman Ruth, Jr. Ruth was raised in a poor waterfront neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Babe Ruth was one of eight children born to the couple, and one of only two that survived infancy. At the age of 7, the trouble-making Ruth became too much of a handful for his busy parents. He would be caught wandering dockyeards, drinking, chewing tabacco, and taunting local police officers. -
Childhood Continued
Ruth's family sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. aIt was a Catholic orphanage and reformatory that became Babe's home for the next 12 years. Babe looked up to a monk named Brother Mathias, who became a father figure to the young boy. -
Sports carrer starts
By the time he was 15, Ruth showed exceptional skill both as a strong hitter and pitcher. It was pitching that caught Jack Dunn, the owner of the minor league Baltimore Orioles attention. Dunn became Ruth's legal guardian, leading teammates to jokingly call Ruth "Dunn's new babe." The joke stuck, and Ruth quickly earned the nickname "Babe" Ruth. -
Carrer continues
Ruth was only with the club for a short time before he was called up to the majors in Boston. He was a left-handed pitcher who was a valuable member to the team. -
Historical Event.
- NAACP incorporates (NY)
-
Sports carrer
Over the next five years, Ruth led the Red Sox to three championships, including the 1916 title which saw him pitch a still-record 13 scoreless innings in one game. -
Major Leagues
Faced with financial hardships, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee needed cash to pay off his debts. He found help in the New York Yankees, which agreed in December of 1919 to buy the Babe's rights for the then-impressive sum of $100,000. For Boston, the departure of the Babe spelled the end of the team's winning streak. -
Historical Event
Giants play their 1st legal Sunday home game, 35,000 see Phils win 4-3. -
Historical event
The "Black Sox" scandal of 1919 when the World Series was fixed by gamblers, It took the baseball heroics of Babe Ruth to bring the fans focus back to the game. -
Historical Event
NY Yankees purchase Babe Ruth from Red Sox for $125,000 -
Historical event
NY Yankees announce purchase of Babe Ruth -
New York Yankees
With Ruth leading the way, New York turned into a dominant force, winning four World Series titles over the next 15 seasons. Ruth became a full-time outfielder, was at the heart of all the success, unleashing a level of power that had never been seen before in the game. -
"Curse of the Bambino"
Not until 2004 did the club win another World Series, a championship drought that later sports writers dubbed "The Curse of the Bambino." -
Records
Ruth went on to break baseball's most important slugging records, including most years leading a league in home runs; most total bases in a season; and highest slugging percentage for a season. In all he hit 714 home runs, a mark that stood until 1974. -
Records
In 1919, while with the Red Sox, Ruth set a single-season home run record of 29 runs. In 1920, his first year in New York, he scored 54 home runs. In his second season he broke his own record by hitting 59 home runs and, in less than 10 seasons, Ruth had made his mark as baseball's all-time home run leader. In 1927, he outdid himself again by hitting 60 home runs in a season's time—a record that stood for 34 years. -
Records continue.
Over the course of his career, Ruth went on to break baseball's most important slugging records, including most years leading a league in home runs, most total bases in a season, and highest slugging percentage for a season. In all he hit 714 home runs, a mark that stood until 1974, when Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves surpassed him. -
Retired
On May 25, 1935, an overweight and greatly diminished Babe Ruth reminded fans of his greatness one last time when hit three home runs in a single game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The following week, Ruth officially retired. He was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. -
Conclusion
Babe Ruth had a lasting impact on major league baseball. He dominated the majors in home runs, a record few have since surpassed. He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season and ended his career with 714 home runs. Ruth also pitched in 163 games, with a record of 94-46. The Smithsonian states that Ruth is the greatest player in baseball history, having glamorized the sport with each record he set. Ruth, who made the game livelier, improved the radio fan's listening experience.
