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Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth: a larger-than-life icon who forever changed baseball with his legendary swing and colorful personality.

George Herman Ruth Jr. (1895-1948), also known as Babe Ruth, was the greatest baseball player in the history of the sport. He played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves in a career which ran from 1914 to 1935.

Ruth is perhaps best known for his prodigious power. He set numerous records during his career, including most home runs in a season (60 in 1927) which stood until 1961. He also held the record for career home runs (714) which lasted until 1974.

In addition to his hitting prowess, Ruth was a skilled pitcher early in his career, and led the Red Sox to three World Series championships before being traded to the Yankees in 1919. With the Yankees, Ruth won four World Series titles and became a cultural icon known as “The Sultan of Swat” and “The Bambino.”

Ruth was known for his larger-than-life personality and his love of the good life. Ruth was beloved by fans and remains a titan of American sports history.

George Herman "Babe" Ruth

1895

born

baltimore,
Maryland

birthplace

1936

hall of fame

1948

died

baseball career

New York
Yankees

primary team

right fielder

primary position

left

bats

left

throws

career mlb stats

2,503

games

8,399

at bats

2,174

runs

2,873

hits

506

Doubles

136

triples

714

home runs

2,214

rbi

123

steals

2,062

walks

.342

batting avg

1.164

ops

.474

on base %

.690

slugging %

Babe RUth's Hall of Fame Speech

JUNE 12, 1939

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I hope some day that some of the young fellows coming into the game will know how it feels to be picked in the Hall of Fame. I know the old boys back in there were just talking it over, some have been here long before my time. They got on it, I worked hard, and I got on it. And I hope that the coming generation, the young boys today, that they’ll work hard and also be on it.

And as my old friend Cy Young says, “I hope it goes another hundred years and the next hundred years will be the greatest. You know to me this is just like an anniversary myself, because twenty-five years ago yesterday I pitched my first baseball game in Boston, for the Boston Red Sox. (applause)

So it seems like an anniversary for me too, and I’m surely glad and it’s a pleasure for me to come up here and be picked also in the Hall of Fame. Thank you.”

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