Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, (b. February 6, 1895, d. August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth, also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat, was an American baseball player and United States national icon. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and he was the first player to hit over 30, 40 and 50 home runs in one season. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris in 1961. He also was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. In 1998, The Sporting News named Ruth as Number One in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

"The House That Ruth Built"

Ruth regrouped from his troubled 1922 season. He worked out hard in the off-season, came into the 1923 season in good shape, and it showed in his play. He batted .393 (it would be the highest of his career, although he lost the batting title to Harry Heilmann, who hit .403), and his home run total of 41 (a modest total for him) led the majors. Ruth also led the A.L. in walks (170, a single-season record not broken until Barry Bonds walked 177 times in 2001), runs (131), RBI's (151), extra-base hits (99), and slugging average (.764). He also missed only two games, having missed over 40 games the previous season. Ruth had returned to his dominant form, and the Yankees easily returned to the World Series.

Related Topics:
1922 - 1923 - Harry Heilmann - Barry Bonds - 2001 - World Series

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The 1923 season also saw the opening of Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had been sharing the Polo Grounds with the Giants since 1913, but since Ruth arrived, the Yankees had badly been outdrawing the Giants. With increased revenue and team success, as well as a threat of eviction from the Polo Grounds by the Giants, the Yankees needed a new home. In 1921, Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert bought a small piece of land in the Bronx for $600,000 from the Astor estate. After a year of construction and a cost of $2.5 million (a huge sum at the time), the 62,000 seat Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. In the first game played there, Ruth, fittingly, hit the stadium's first home run, and it was sportswriter Fred Lieb who soon nicknamed Yankee Stadium "The House That Ruth Built."

Related Topics:
Yankee Stadium - Polo Grounds - 1913 - Jacob Ruppert - Bronx - Astor - April

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Detractors of the stadium would call it "The House Built for Ruth", and "Ruthville", as the short 295-foot distance to right-field seemed tailor made for some "cheap" home runs for the left-handed pull hitting Ruth. In time, this argument would have little statistical support. From 1923-1932, in his prime home run hitting years at Yankee Stadium, Ruth hit more home runs on the road, and in his 60 home run season of 1927, he hit 32 of those on the road.

Related Topics:
Left-handed - Yankee Stadium - 60 - 1927 - 32

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For the third straight year the Yankees faced the Giants in the World Series. Injured during the 1921 World Series, and completely ineffective in the 1922 series, Ruth was the best player on the field in the 1923 World Series. He went 7-19, a .368 average, slugged 1.000, walked 8 times, scored 8 runs, hit 3 home runs, and led the Yankees to a 4-2 series victory. The Yankees had their first World Series title, and the start of what became the most successful major sports team in North America. From 1923 to the present, the Yankees have appeared in 37 World Series, winning 26 of those series.

Related Topics:
North America - 37 - World Series - 26

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