Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

Summary: In his 22-year career, Ruth set or tied 76 different records, including 2,056 bases on balls and 1,330 strikeouts, and helped his team win four of the seven World Series in which he played. In 1933 he hit the first home run in All-Star Game history, and he was one of the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Considered one of the finest to play the game, his record of 714 home runs eclipsed only by Hank Aaron in 1974 and his record of 60 home runs in a single season surpassed only by Roger Maris in 1961. Born George Herman Ruth, the son of a Baltimore tavern owner, on February 6, 1895, Ruth learned from an early age to play baseball when his parents enrolled the rowdy youngster in St. Mary's Industrial School. There, he came under the influence of a coach who taught him the fundamentals of the game. Ruth began his professional career in 1914, when he was chosen by the Baltimore team of the American League as a pitcher; later that season, however, he was sold to the Boston Red Stockings (later the Red Sox), where he made a name for himself as both a pitcher and a hitter.

In the era of the so-called "dead ball," which did not fly very well even when accurately hit, Ruth excelled. In 1919, his last full year with Boston, he hit 29 home runs--at that time a remarkable record. It would not be his last. In 1920 he was sold to the New York Yankees for the then-unheard of sum of $100,000, including a loan to the Red Sox owner of an additional $370,000. Ruth spent the next 15 years with the Yankees, and he blazed a series of records and accomplishments. As an integral member of "Murderers' Row"--a number of Yankee players including Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Bob Meusel, and Earle Combs--Ruth helped his team become the predominant sports team of the century.

In 1927, Ruth hit an astonishing 60 home runs. In the 1928 World Series alone, he hit an astonishing 0.628 batting average. The $10 million stadium built by Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert was dubbed "The House That Ruth Built." During the 1920s, aside from his teammate Lou Gehrig, Ruth was baseball. In 1934, he signed with the Boston Braves of the National League, but played little during the 1935 season, when he was really too old. He desired a managing position, but none was ever offered, and he retired, beloved by multitudes of fans.

In his 22-year career, Ruth set or tied 76 different records, including 2,056 bases on balls and 1,330 strikeouts, and helped his team win four of the seven World Series in which he played. In 1933 he hit the first home run in All-Star Game history, and he was one of the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ruth was a born showman; when he knew