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."

Troubled season

The 1921 World Series appearance would indirectly lead to problems for Ruth. Seeking to avoid diminishing the meaning of the fall classic, organized baseball instituted a rule in 1911 that prohibited World Series players from playing in exhibition games during the off-season. Ruth, typically, decided this rule did not apply to him, and even though Baseball Commissioner

Related Topics:
1921 World Series - 1911 - Baseball Commissioner

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Kenesaw Mountain Landis had warned Ruth about the trip, Ruth went ahead and embarked on his usual lucrative barnstorming tour with two teammates. Landis came down hard on the recalcitrant players, and he suspended Ruth and teammate Bob Meusel for the first six weeks of what was to be a turbulent 1922 season for Ruth. When he returned to the Yankees May 20, Yankee management named Ruth their first on-field captain, but just five days after his return, he was ejected for arguing an umpire's call at third, and exacerbated the situation by climbing into the seats to confront a heckling fan. The captaincy was stripped, and Ruth's temper would see him suspended three more times in 1922 for arguing with umpires.

Related Topics:
Kenesaw Mountain Landis - Barnstorming - Bob Meusel - 1922 - May 20 - Umpire - Fan

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While Ruth suffered his first professional setback, his personal life was in a worse state. His wife Helen disliked the celebrity lifestyle to which the Babe was drawn, and she lived on their farm near Boston with their adopted daughter, Dorothy. Free from the eyes of his wife, Ruth embraced the lifestyle even more fully. His love of fine food, undiminished over the years, was matched only by his appetites for alcohol, the nightlife, and casual sex. Helen and Babe's marital problems compromised Helen's delicate health. She was frequently ill with numerous ailments, which reportedly included several nervous breakdowns.

Related Topics:
Boston - Daughter - Alcohol - Nervous breakdown

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The suspension at the beginning of the season affected Ruth at the plate. He struggled all year, and his batting, on-base and slugging averages fell dramatically (.315/.434/.672). He hit 35 home runs with 99 runs batted in, but the suspensions and some injuries limited his playing time to just 110 games. All his time missed on the field hurt the Yankees, but they barely had enough to get past the .420 hitting George Sisler and the rest of the heavy-hitting St. Louis Browns for the pennant.

Related Topics:
George Sisler - St. Louis Browns

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Ruth's struggles during the season continued into the World Series. Giants manager John McGraw had instructed his pitchers to throw Ruth nothing but curve balls, and Ruth never adjusted. He went just 2-17, a .118 average, and the Yankees were defeated by the New York Giants (4-0, with one tie) in the World Series for the second straight year. Compared to his first two incredible seasons as a Yankee, the 1922 season was a major disappointment for Ruth.

Related Topics:
World Series - John McGraw - New York Giants

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