Babe Ruth Baseball | Lifestyle

by DeniseISmithson

Babe Ruth is a name which is instantly familiar to people around the world; even those who are not baseball fans and those far too young to actually remember the Sultan of Swat know his name and are familiar with the House That Ruth Built. Among younger Major League players, one of Babe's superstitions has taken hold. As Babe said "whenever I hit a home run, I always make sure I touch all four bases". Babe Ruth was larger than life in every sense of the word and he remains deeply rooted in the popular imagination - for there may be another like him.

Born George Herman Ruth Jr. to parents George Sr. and Kate Schamberger-Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland in 1895, Ruth and his sister Mamie were the only two survivors out of eight children. Ruth did not have an idyllic childhood, often being left to his own devices to get by. When he was only seven, his parents sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, which Ruth looked at more as prison than school. He saw his parents only rarely and rapidly became known by the nuns at St. Mary's as a problem child.

Never find if rules, Ruth chafed under the strict life of the school. The upside for Ruth was that he discovered baseball while at the school, becoming quite the player in his time there. When only 19, he was spotted and immediately signed to the Baltimore Orioles by manager Jack Dunn. He earned his nickname while on the Orioles - his teammates called him "Jacks' new babe"; a name which stayed with him for a lifetime.

With the Orioles for only five months, the Boston Red Sox purchased his contract and at 19, he both pitched and played the outfield for six years. During this period, fans took note of Babe's performance on and off the field, with his off the field stories being more colorful through his eating and drinking all-night parties that included many women. Playing in his first World Series Game in 1916, he set a record that still stands today, a fourteen inning game that became the longest in the history of the World Series. His pitching skills at this time left him an astounding record of 29 2/3 scoreless innings in World Series bouts alone, a record that stood for forty-three years. In December of 1919, a weird trade of sorts would land him with the Yankees-leaving the Red Sox in a World Series denial until 2004!

With Ruth on the team, the Yankees would win 4 World Series and 7 American League Pennants. Ruth hit an amazing 54 home runs in 1920 alone. Babe Ruth proved to be just as popular with the fans in New York as he had been in Boston and became a celebrity. The Yankees stadium, built in 1923 soon came to be known as "The House That Ruth Built". Fittingly enough, Ruth hit three home runs on opening day and later that year, the World Series title. Ruth would separate from his wife of 11 years, Helen Woodford in 1925, with whom he had adopted a daughter, Dorothy. It was not until Helen dies in 1929 that he would marry his companion, the model Claire Hodgson. His first at bat that year, he hit a home run out of the park, which he dedicated to Hodgson.

The achievement that Babe Ruth will be remembered for more than any other is hi s60 home runs in 1927 - this record was finally broken by Roger Maris in 1961. This record continues to be disputed, since Ruth hit his 60 home runs in 154 games as opposed to Maris' 162 games and 61 home runs. Regardless, there is no dispute about Ruth's .690 batting average, something which has not been equaled since. This is why Babe Ruth is also known as the Great Bambino and the Sultan of Swat.

Another impressive achievement came in the third game off the 1932 World Series. The Yankees were playing against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Babe had already hit one home run earlier in the game, but in the fifth inning, Ruth hit what is believed to be the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field until Sammy Sosa's famous home run in 2002 which landed on Kenmore Avenue!

When Babe did not get his desired Yankee manager position in 1935, he left the Yankees and signed with the Brave's as not only a player but also their first base coach accepting the promise of their manager position the following year. With his manager outlook grim, Babe hit three home runs in one of his final games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where only a meager 10,000 fans saw him tip his hat at that last home run-his 714th. Still, with Babe's 8,399 at-bats, 2,211 RBI's and a career 2.28 ERA as a lefty pitcher, The Babe remains a true hero in the hearts and fans of baseball everywhere.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

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