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."

Retirement and later years

When Ruth retired in 1935, many of his major batting records seemed almost untouchable. He held the records for career bases on balls (2,062), bases on balls in a season (170), on-base percentage (.474, although a statistic not yet created during Ruth's era), career RBI's (2,213), career slugging average (.690), slugging average in a season (.847), home runs in a season (60), home run ratio (1 every 11.76 at bats), and career home runs (714). His career home run total at his retirement was twice that of the next nearest player, Lou Gehrig. It often took many decades, but all of these major records fell (except the career slugging average), including the fabled 60 and 714 home run marks. Over the years, Ruth's image, and even his 60 and 714 numbers, grew into an almost sacred status among some fans, so much so that when Roger Maris and Hank Aaron both approached, and eventually surpassed both these records, respectively, both men were deluged with hate mail (much of Aaron's hate mail was also for him being a black man).

Related Topics:
1935 - Bases on balls - On-base percentage - RBI - Slugging average - Home run - Lou Gehrig - Fans - Roger Maris - Hank Aaron - Hate mail

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Although many of his batting records have been surpassed, a strong case can be made that Ruth still owns the greatest career batting numbers of any player in baseball history, and a major reason why Ruth's name grew into an almost legendary and iconic figure.

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In 1936, Ruth was one of the first five players elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
1936 - Baseball Hall of Fame

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Retirement was often unsettling for Ruth. He had more than enough money, but he missed the game. He spent much time on the golf course, dabbled in a few other things, but his heart was set on managing a big league club. He would never be given the chance. The closest Ruth ever came to managing was when Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Larry MacPhail offered him a first base coaching job in June of 1938. The Dodgers attendance was lagging, and MacPhail hired Ruth for the sole purpose of getting people to the ballpark. Ruth took the job, perhaps thinking he would have a chance to manage the Dodgers in the future, but MacPhail had clearly stated to Ruth that Leo Durocher was being groomed to take over the managerial reigns of the Dodgers for next season. Ruth never got along with Durocher, and he quit at the end of the season. The coaching position was the last time Ruth would have job in major league baseball.

Related Topics:
Money - Golf - Brooklyn Dodgers - Larry MacPhail - 1938 - Ballpark - Leo Durocher

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In 1939, all the previous years of fast living began to show signs of catching up with Ruth. During a round of golf with his playing partner Ben Curry, Ruth said to him, "I feel terrible." He was taken to the clubhouse where a doctor observed his condition. It wasn't diagnosed then, but Ruth probably suffered a mild heart attack, and about a year later, he suffered another similar attack. By this time Ruth's weight had ballooned to over 270 pounds (122 kg).

Related Topics:
1939 - Golf - Heart attack

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In 1942 Ruth was asked to play a part (as himself, in his athletic prime) in the

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film The Pride of the Yankees, a film biography of Lou Gehrig, who had passed away from ALS in June of 1941. Ruth would need to lose a great deal of weight to play the role, and a vigorous workout schedule had him losing 40 pounds (18 kg). He did a respectable job of acting in a bit part, but the strict hours of filming did not suit his night life. He caught a bad cold (he caught frequent colds his whole life), which developed into pneumonia. At one point, a report circulated that he was near death, but he recovered in a couple of weeks and finished the film part.

Related Topics:
The Pride of the Yankees - Lou Gehrig - ALS - June - Cold - Pneumonia

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During World War II, Ruth did some charity work for the Red Cross, and himself bought over $100,000 in war bonds. He even organized a charity golf game with his old rival Ty Cobb (the two had despised each other in their playing days). Ruth appeared at many benefits during the war, and a few times donned his old baseball uniform. During one benefit at Yankee Stadium, he batted against the former great pitcher Walter Johnson, and another time, pinch hit in a game made up of teams from the armed forces. Later, in 1943, in another charity game at Yankee Stadium, he pinch hit, drew a walk, but tore cartilage in his knee when running the bases, and this would be the last time he would play in a formal game.

Related Topics:
World War II - Red Cross - Ty Cobb - Yankee Stadium - Walter Johnson - 1943 - Cartilage - Knee

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