The Bottom Line: Learn more about the Great Bambino!
The Full Story:
- Being one of eight children, he was one of only two that survived infancy.
- According to his biography, Ruth was a troubled child who began chewing tobacco and taunting police officers at a young age. Unable to discipline him, his parents sent him to a Catholic orphanage and reformatory for 12 years where he was introduced to baseball. At a young age he showed exceptional skills, which drove Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles to sign as his legal guardian to play professional baseball at just 19 years old.
- Teammates joked and called Ruth “Dunn’s new babe” and ultimately stuck earning the nickname, “Babe” Ruth.
- Babe Ruth broke outstanding records including most years leading a league in home runs, most total bases in a season and highest slugging percentage for a season.
- He was nicknamed “Babe Ruth,” “The Great Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat.”
- He spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball and played for three teams from 1914 until his retirement in 1935.
- Ruth helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles.
- One year after Ruth’s retirement, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
- The week before he retired, on May 25, 1935 he his three home runs in a single game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- In 1946, Ruth was diagnosed with throat cancer and on this day in 1947, he struggled when the crowd of 60,000 fans cheered him on at his honorary day at Yankee Stadium. Once he started speaking, he was fine!
- Babe Ruth died at 53 years old on August 16, 1948 in his sleep. Just one year after Yankee Stadium named April 27th Babe Ruth Day.