Babe Ruth and The House He Built

Thursday, July 30, 2009 ·

By Denise I Smithson

Who doesn't remember Babe Ruth? Even if you are too young, and are a baseball fan, we bet you've heard of Babe and the House That Ruth Built. Even one of his superstitions remains popular among Major League players-"whenever I hit a homerun, I always make sure I touch all four bases." Babe was a curious man, ferocious in baseball, women, and ideals, and we remember his as "The Babe," fondly so, because there will never be another man like him, in any sport.

George Herman Ruth Jr. was born in 1895 in Baltimore, MD, the son of George H. Ruth Sr. and Kate Schamberger-Ruth. One of two surviving children of eight (the other was his sister Mamie), Babe Ruth has a tough childhood, often being left to care for himself. At the tender age of seven, he was sent to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, which he recalls more as a reformatory than a school. Deprived of parental guidance except on occasions, Ruth quickly earned a reputation among the nuns at the school as an incorrigible.

Never find if rules, Ruth chafed under the strict life of the school. The upside for Ruth was that he discovered baseball while at the school, becoming quite the player in his time there. When only 19, he was spotted and immediately signed to the Baltimore Orioles by manager Jack Dunn. He earned his nickname while on the Orioles - his teammates called him "Jacks' new babe"; a name which stayed with him for a lifetime.

It was not long before Ruth's contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox, where he would spend the next six years both as a catcher and in the outfield. Ruth became immensely popular with fans for his flair on and off the diamond. With the Red Sox, Ruth played his first World Series in 1916. Ruth pitched a still intact record of 14 innings. In fact, Ruth achieved a record setting 29 2/3 innings with no hits as a pitcher in World Series games alone! This record would last for 43 years. In 1919, an ill-advised trade saw Babe Ruth traded to the New York Yankees (ill-advised for the Red Sox anyway, a triumph for the Yankees). This began the "Curse of the Bambino"; the Red Sox would not win another World Series until 2004!

In 1920, he began his Major League career with the New York Yankees where Babe and his teammates would win 7 American League Pennants and 4 World Series Titles, a legacy called "The Curse of the Bambino." Babe hit an amazing 54 home runs in 1920 and was both a fan and player favorite not just for his home run hitting skills, but also for his candor. In 1923, mostly due to the popularity of The Babe, the Yankees opened Yankee Stadium that would eventually be named, The House That Ruth Built-how appropriate that The Babe would hit a home run on opening day, along with yet another World Series Title. Married to Helen Woodford in October of 1914, by 1919, Babe had enough money to buy them a country house and adopt a daughter they named Dorothy. After a separation, but no divorce in 1925, Babe did not remain the good boy when it came to women and continued an affair with model Claire Hodgson. Upon Helen's death by fire in 1929, Babe married Claire and hit her an out-of-the-park homerun in his first at bat in April of that same year.

The achievement that Babe Ruth will be remembered for more than any other is hi s60 home runs in 1927 - this record was finally broken by Roger Maris in 1961. This record continues to be disputed, since Ruth hit his 60 home runs in 154 games as opposed to Maris' 162 games and 61 home runs. Regardless, there is no dispute about Ruth's .690 batting average, something which has not been equaled since. This is why Babe Ruth is also known as the Great Bambino and the Sultan of Swat.

Babe's famous moment in baseball came in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series where the Yankees played the Chicago Cubs. In the 5th inning, after he already had one home run, Babe came to bat and was at a count of two balls and two strikes. Before the next pitch came his way, Babe pointed to the center of the field bleachers and slammed that puppy right where he pointed and some believe it is the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field.

When Babe did not get his desired Yankee manager position in 1935, he left the Yankees and signed with the Brave's as not only a player but also their first base coach accepting the promise of their manager position the following year. With his manager outlook grim, Babe hit three home runs in one of his final games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where only a meager 10,000 fans saw him tip his hat at that last home run-his 714th. Still, with Babe's 8,399 at-bats, 2,211 RBI's and a career 2.28 ERA as a lefty pitcher, The Babe remains a true hero in the hearts and fans of baseball everywhere.

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