"Personal Checks You Can Bank On!" ™
Even people who are unfamiliar with baseball know who Babe Ruth is. Though he passed away more than fifty years ago, he remains to this day one of the greatest figures in baseball and is known as one of America’s most recognizable icons around the world. Even today, he ranks first on slugging, third on home run, and tenth on batting averages of all time.
But the legend and reputation which Babe Ruth left behind extends beyond the moment when he called the shots or set the records. Indeed, Ruth had a far different start than most would expect.
Babe Ruth was born George Herman Ruth Jr. February 6, 1895. His parents George and Kate had seven other children in their small home in Baltimore, Maryland. Of all these children though, only Ruth and his sister Mamie survived. Despite his parents’ deep affection, they had to work hard and long to pay the bills.
Ruth took advantage of this time to skip school and cause trouble. No one guessed that he might become a baseball star. At the time, he was termed "incorrigible." Finally, when he was seven years old, his parents had had enough. They realized that he needed a far more disciplined environment, so they sent him to a reform school known as St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Catholic monks of the Xaverian Brothers ran the school, and, with only a few breaks, Ruth remained with them in a regulated environment.
Soon after Ruth arrived at the school, Brother Matthias decided to mentor him. He became both a positive figure and a role model. But, in addition to his teaching Ruth to be a stronger man of principle, Brother Matthias taught Ruth a game known as baseball.
The game helped tire Ruth and allowed him to use up his energy. He took a liking to it at once and spent numerous hours refining and honing his skills. Every bit of free time he used to improve his game. One of his more unusual traits was that he was a left handed hitter. But that did not stop him from beating most of the other boys in the school.
Eventually, the monks decided that Ruth showed tremendous potential. They contacted a minor league recruiter named Jack Dunn. Dunn came to the school and decided that Ruth indeed had talent. He signed him up to the Baltimore Orioles at a $600 rate. But shortly after that, Dunn sold Ruth to the Boston Red Sox in 1914.
Despite Ruth’s ability as a hitter, he started out mostly as a pitcher. He did quite well at that in the beginning, and soon his pitching skill increased to an extraordinary level. Within four years, Babe Ruth pitched his twenty-ninth scoreless inning in the World Series, a record which remained for 43 years.
But even though Ruth enjoyed pitching, he loved hitting more. He requested more time hitting, and that same season in 1919, he set a new record by hitting 29 home runs. Shortly after 1919, he was sold to the New York Yankees, and he started beating his own records.
With both his incredible pitching and batting skills, Ruth changed the face of baseball. Before, baseball had been considered a slow quiet game, a place for folks to come out and just enjoy their time as a family. But with Ruth’s fast pitches and faster hits along with his ever growing record of accomplishments and records, crowds poured into the stadiums to see what it was all about. Baseball’s popularity soared.
As Ruth’s fame and notoriety grew, so did his list of nicknames. He went from being George Ruth Jr. to the Babe, Babe Ruth, the Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swing, and many others, He developed an almost mythical stature, made all the more powerful when he became a member of "Murderer’s Row" in 1927. Here, he set another homerun record which would last 34 years: 60 homeruns in a single game.
His popularity and skill likewise launched the Yankees into the limelight. Before this, the Yankees had never won any titles, national or otherwise. But with Ruth on the team, they won seven pennants and four World Series. Murderer’s Row, the 1927 team, is still labeled as one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball.
But Babe was not just about baseball. As much as he loved it, he also had a kind heart, particularly for children. He often visited sick children in the hospital and tried to cheer them up, and he also participated in charity events to benefit these kids. One famous story involves an eleven year old kid named Johnny Sylvester. He had been in an accident and was doing so poorly that the doctors had said that he probably wouldn’t make it. When Ruth heard about this, he sent a message to Johnny that he was going to hit a home run just for Johnny. At that game, as Johnny waited for the news, Ruth hit three homeruns. Johnny was absolutely delighted, and he actually did start feeling better. Later on Ruth went to the hospital and spoke to Johnny, encouraging him to get better and bolstering the child’s mood.
By the time 1932 rolled around, Ruth was famous, and baseball was the sport of the nation. But it was in the 1932 World Series that Ruth locked in his stature as American icon and baseball hero.
In the fateful game, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs had entered into a heated and spirited competition. The fans were just as wild, and when Ruth stepped up to the plate, opposing fans mocked him. A few even threw fruit at him. Despite having a temper, Ruth kept his cool. Or so it seemed. Four times, the pitcher threw the ball, but Ruth managed only two balls and two strikes. Furious, Ruth pointed out to centerfield, calling the shot. The pitcher threw the ball, and Ruth struck it. The ball shot across the field precisely where he’d pointed.
That moment has been termed one of the greatest and most memorable in baseball history. Fans on both sides went wild, and the story spread across the nation.
By the time he reached his mid 30s, Ruth had to retire from baseball. While he still played better than most, it took more effort, and he knew that other younger players would soon be beating him. So, on May 25, 1935, he hit the 714th home run of his career, and on May 30, 1935, he played his final major league game. His record remained unbroken until Hank Aaron’s success in 1974.
But despite retiring, Ruth did not lounge about. He traveled, visited sick children, and attended plenty of games. He enjoyed his life fully and never really slowed down. When the Baseball Hall of Fame was opened in 1936, he appeared as one of the first five inductees. He also appeared at various major league games. In honor of his success, the Yankees retired his jersey number, Jersey #3, officially when he appeared at Yankee Stadium June 13, 1948.
Unfortunately, around this time, doctors discovered Ruth had cancer. While he held on for over ten years, he finally succumbed to the disease and passed away August 16, 1948. They placed his body in Yankee Stadium for the calling hours, and then they held his funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. More than 100,000 people from New York and the nation came out to pay their final respects.
Babe Ruth’s legend continues to live on. Whenever anyone mentions the greats of baseball, his name is at the top of the list. And while baseball has seen some incredible heroes and many of Ruth’s records have been beaten, no baseball player can ever really replace the Great Bambino.