Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr., nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball outfielder and pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1914 to 1935. More
Beginning his career as a stellar left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Ruth achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. He established many MLB batting records, including career home runs, slugging percentage, runs batted in, bases on balls, and on-base plus slugging, some of which have been broken. Ruth was one of the first five inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
At age seven, Ruth was sent to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory where he learned life lessons and baseball skills from Brother Matthias Boutlier, the school's disciplinarian and a capable baseball player. In 1914, Ruth was signed to play minor-league baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. Soon sold to the Red Sox, by 1916 he had built a reputation as an outstanding pitcher who sometimes hit long home runs, the latter a feat unusual in the pre-1920 dead-ball era. Although Ruth twice won 20 games as a pitcher and was a member of three World Series championship teams with Boston, he wanted to play every day and was consequently allowed to convert to an outfielder. He responded by breaking the MLB single-season home run record in 1919.
Babe Ruth timeline
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Babe Ruth is born
Ruth was born at 216 Emory Street in Pigtown, a rough neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth's German-American parents, Kate Schamberger-Ruth... Read more
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Babe Ruth's father sends him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys
When he was seven years old, his father sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory and orphanage, and signed custody over to... Read more
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Babe Ruth signs first contract with minor-league Baltimore Orioles
In 1913, St. Mary's Industrial School was playing a game against Mount St. Mary's University (then college) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. That day, the... Read more
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Babe Ruth sold to the Boston Red Sox
On July 7, 1914, Dunn offered to trade Ruth, along with Ernie Shore and Ben Egan, to Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics. Dunn asked $10,000... Read more
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Babe Ruth makes his major league debut
Ruth appeared in five games for the Red Sox in 1914, pitching in four of them. He picked up the victory in his major league debut on July 11. The... Read more
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Babe Ruth marries Helen Woodford
Shortly after the season, in which he'd finished with a 2-1 record, Ruth proposed to Helen Woodford, a waitress whom he had met in Boston. They... Read more
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1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series featured the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to two. The Series victory for the Red Sox was their... Read more
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Babe Ruth is sold to the New York Yankees
On December 26, 1919, Frazee sold Ruth to the New York Yankees. Popular legend has it that Frazee sold Ruth and several other of his best players... Read more
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Babe Ruth wins AL MVP
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in each... Read more
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1923 World Series
In the 1923 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in six games. This would be the first of the Yankees' 27 World Series... Read more
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1926 World Series
The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, featuring the St. Louis Cardinals against the New... Read more
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1928 World Series
In the 1928 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Along with 1927, this was the first time a team had... Read more
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Babe Ruth Marries Claire Merritt Hodgson
Born near Athens, Georgia, United States, she met Ruth in 1923, a year after her husband Frank Hodgson died, leaving her with a daughter, Julia.... Read more
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Babe Ruth's Called Shot
It was October 1, 1932, when the Yankees met the Cubs at Wrigley Field for Game 3 of the World Series. The Yankees had won the first two games and... Read more
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Babe Ruth is sold to the Boston Braves
By this time, Ruth knew he had little left as a player. His heart was set on managing the Yankees, and he made no secret of his desire to replace... Read more
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Babe Ruth plays his last Major League game
On May 25, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth went 4-for-4, drove in 6 runs and hit 3 home runs in an 11–7 loss to the Pirates. These were the... Read more
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First five players elected into Baseball Hall of Fame
The first elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were held in 1936. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America... Read more
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"The Pride Of The Yankees" Is Released
The Pride of the Yankees is a 1942 biographical film directed by Sam Wood about the New York Yankees baseball player, first baseman Lou Gehrig, who... Read more
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Babe Ruth is diagnosed with a Malignant Tumor in his neck
In 1946, he began experiencing severe pain over his left eye. In November 1946, a visit to French Hospital in New York revealed Ruth had a... Read more
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Babe Ruth dies
Shortly after he attended the Yankee Stadium anniversary event, Ruth was back in the hospital. He received hundreds of well-wishing letters and... Read more
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Roger Maris Hits His Sixty-First Home Run
On October 1, 1961, Roger Maris slammed home run number sixty-one into the stands. In the last game of the regular season, Maris broke the... Read more
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Hank Aaron Hits Home Run No. 715, Breaks Babe Ruth's Record
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a... Read more