Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth Jr. a.k.a. Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895. Nicknamed the “Sultan of Swat”, he is often recognized as the greatest to ever play the game. During his 21 year long career, Major League Baseball gained a lot of popularity, a lot of which can be credited to all of the people Ruth captivated with his amazing playing ability. He become one of the most loved characters in sports, which hasn’t changed to this very day.

Babe Ruth began his pro career with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher. He was an excellent pitcher, but that is often shadowed by his dominance at the plate later in his career. As a pitcher Ruth was 89-46 with the Red Sox (he would end up with a career pitching record of 94-46). In 1918 he began to play first base and outfield for the Red Sox so that he could help them in more games. A year later he would hit 29 home runs in 111 games, breaking the home run record of the time. Little did most people know that this was just the beginning of a glorious career.

In 1920, Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee because he didn’t want to pay Ruth the raise which he demanded. Frazee would certainly regret not paying up. This was the move that started it all between the Yanks and the Red Sox; Ruth is the “Bambino” in “the curse of the Bambino”.

His first year with the Yankees he hit 54 home runs with a .376 batting average and .847 slugging average. Just a year later, he hit 59 homeruns with a .846 slugging average and led the Yankees to their first championship.

The most notable of his records is his 714 career home runs, something that at the time was unimaginable. He started a golden age of baseball, as the popularity of the game exploded in the 1920s (mostly due to him) until it eventually became labeled as “America’s pastime.” He was one of the original five hall of fame inductees. Babe Ruth is more than just a player to Major League Baseball. He is a vital part of its history and arguably the most famous to ever play the game.

Career Stats:
AVG .342
HR 714
RBI 2,217

Teams played with:
Boston Red Sox (1914-1919)
New York Yankees (1920-1934)
Boston Braves (1935)