Baseball Greats - Babe Ruth

Born February 6, 1895 under the given name of George Herman Ruth, the man known as Babe Ruth (also referred to as The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat) is a legend in baseball history. When asked who the greatest baseball player in history was, his name is the first on most people’s lips. Ruth not only set several records, but broke many of his own over the years and earned his place as one of the first five inductees to the Hall of Fame.

He was the first player to hit over 30, 40, and 50 home runs in a single season, and his final record, 60 home runs in a single season, stood for 34 years (eventually broken by roger Maris 1961). He was a member of the very first American League All Star Team, put together in 1933. He is repeatedly named number one on lists and in surveys regarding the best players in history.

However, it wasn’t just his talent at baseball that makes him such a well-known figure in history. Ruth was the builder of the New York Yankees dynasty. He made popular the idea of the “power game”, which caused other teams to follow the trend. It ended the “inside game” that had been strategy for decades. His fame led to the bubbling interest in sports and started the expansion of almost all ballparks used in the major leagues.

Ruth, who started out as a pitcher, led the Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs in the 1918 World Series. However, by 1919, Ruth had moved to a full-time outfield position, pitching only 17 of the 130 games he played. That year, he hit 29 home runs, setting his first home run record. He also held a batting average of .322 and drove in 114 runs.

As he became more and more popular, he was also known for weight gain. Though he had a tall, athletic build during his early years, by 1919, he was quite heavy and round, and his weight would continue to fluctuate for years. He had powerfully muscular legs, though, and they appeared quite thin beneath his hefty torso. Ty Cobb, who was always offering cruel remarks to the Babe, later remarked the Ruth “ran okay for a fat man”.

Babe Ruth died on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53.