Biography
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Off the Field
Regardless of Babe's on-field accomplishments, his personal life continued to be turbulent. He married 17-year-old waitress Helen Woodford in October 1914. By 1919, Babe made enough money for the couple to buy a country house in Sudbury, Massachusetts, in addition to their New York City home. In 1921 they adopted a baby girl named Dorothy. Ultimately the relationship faltered and the couple officially separated in 1925. After the separation, however, Helen and Babe remained married because their religious beliefs prevented divorce. Tragically, in 1929 Helen was killed in a house fire. Dorothy, who had been living with her mother, came to stay with Babe. He married actress and model Claire Hodgson a few months later in April 1929, the day before the Yankees' opening game against the Boston Red Sox. Babe hit a homer out of Yankee Stadium for his new bride on his first at-bat.
The Sultan of Swat
During his 22-year professional career, Babe cemented his name as the most prolific home run hitter of his time. In 1927, he hit 60 home runs during a 154-game stretch. This record stood until 1961, when Roger Maris hit 61 homers in an expanded 162-game schedule. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick decided Maris' record would enter the record books with an asterisk denoting the difference in the schedule. He may no longer be the career home run king, but his record .690 lifetime slugging percentage may never be topped. Writers attempted to capture the essence of his greatness by giving him nicknames like "The Great Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat."
