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."

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The 1925 season proved to be an aberration, as in 1926 he rebounded to being the best player in baseball. Ruth led the league in home runs, RBI's, runs scored, bases on balls, slugging average. He finished second in batting average with .372 average, and with .006 extra points he would have won the triple crown (a feat Ruth would never accomplish). The Yankees also bounced back, going from a 7th place finish in 1925 all the way back to the World Series, where they met the St. Louis Cardinals.

Related Topics:
1925 - 1926 - Home runs - RBI - Runs - Bases on balls - Slugging average - Batting average - Triple crown - World Series - St. Louis Cardinals

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The Cardinals were led by star player-manager Rogers Hornsby, who for him, had a bad year at the plate, hitting just .317 (he had averaged .401 the previous five seasons). The Cardinals had other good players, including Jesse Haines, Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, and Grover Alexander, now a 39 year-old epileptic and alcoholic who a decade earlier (with Walter Johnson) was one of the two best pitcher's in baseball.

Related Topics:
Rogers Hornsby - Jesse Haines - Jim Bottomley - Chick Hafey - Grover Alexander - Epileptic - Alcoholic - Walter Johnson

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The Yankees had been heavy favorites in the series, but the Cardinals pushed the series to a 7th game. The highlights of the series up this point had been Ruth's 3-home run game in game 4 (the first time a player hit 3 home runs in a World Series game), and Alexander's clutch pitching that won games 2 and 6.

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In game 7, the Cardinals clinged to a 3-2 lead in the 7th inning, when the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs. The stage was now set for one of the classic moments in baseball history. Hornsby removed starting pitcher Haines, who had developed a blister on his finger, and summoned Alexander from the bullpen. Alexander was napping in the bullpen at the time, and according to some accounts, may have been suffering the effects of a hangover from the previous night celebration of his game 6 win. Facing rookie star Tony Lazzeri, Alexander's first pitch was a ball. The next pitch was a low fastball that was called a strike. The next pitch sailed near Lazzeri's head for ball two. Lazzeri almost assured himself baseball immortality on the next pitch, which he lined to left field that just went foul, missing a home run by a couple of feet. With the count now 2-2, Alexander struckout Lazzeri swinging on a letter-high fastball, ending the Yankees rally.

Related Topics:
Blister - Finger - Bullpen - Rookie - Tony Lazzeri - Fastball - Head - Left field

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Alexander retired the side in the 8th and the first two men in the 9th, when Ruth came up to bat. Pitching carefully to him, Alexander walked Ruth. With Bob Meusel at bat, and Lou Gehrig in the on-deck circle, Ruth pulled the most notable on the field gaffe of his career. He inexplicably took off trying to steal second base, and was easily thrown out by catcher Bob O'Farrell, ending the game and giving the Cardinals the World Series. Alexander's strikeout of Lazzeri would go down in baseball lore, and Ruth, despite an oustanding series, was perceived as a goat by some. In Ruth's defense, some would say the way Alexander was pitching, the Yankees were not likely going to start a rally anyway, and a steal of second might have upset Alexander, in which then a single could have tied the game. Ruth did not dwell on the play much, as his baseball mentality throughout entire career was such that he was never afraid of looking bad and failing.

Related Topics:
Bob Meusel - Lou Gehrig - Second base - Catcher - Goat

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Ruth's superb 1926 season ended on a bittersweet note, but he had silenced many of his critics who said his career was on the decline after the 1925 season. Nevertheless, Ruth had put up some amazing statistics in his first seven years as a Yankee, but he had led the Yankees to just one World Series title, and they lost three others. From this point though, he would enjoy greater World Series success, and in fact, Ruth played in three more series and never again even lost a single World Series game.

Related Topics:
1926 - Critic - World Series

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