Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is widely considered to be the best baseball player that ever lived. The amount
of records he set and the number of homeruns he hit is staggering. He not only left a great legacy
on the baseball field but also off the field. He was known around the country, and he gave hope
to millions during the Great Depression.
George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents George Sr. on
February 6, 1895. He was one of eight kids and he was a troublemaker, having almost no
supervision from his parents because they were always working. His parents sent him to school
at the St. Marys Industrial school for boys, where he found his love for baseball. He met a monk
at the school named Brother Mattias who helped him with school and baseball, and also helped
him sign his first baseball contract to the Baltimore Orioles.
George was offered his contract after the Baltimore Orioles manager watched him play
for less than an hour. At only 19 he was in the major leagues, where he started out as a pitcher.
This is where he got his nickname. He performed well for the Orioles so the older players
referred to him as Jacks newest babe and the nickname became one of the most iconic in
baseball. He was sold to the Boston Red Sox after playing for the Orioles.
In his first season with the Red Sox Babe Ruth appeared in five games, pitching in 4 of
them. In 1915 he was able to work his way into the starting rotation and he finished the season
with an 18-8 in 1915, and a 23-12 record in 1916. He showed tremendous hitting power so the
Red Sox began to transition him to an outfielder, which would make him an everyday player.
After the 1919 season, Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees, where his transition
to the outfield became complete. In New York is where he had most of his success. In the 1920
season he beat the homerun record in 1919 by hitting 54 homers. He broke it again in 1921, one
of his best years, by hitting a total of 59 home runs while batting with a .376 average. He broke
his own record one last time in 1927 by hitting 60 home runs, which is a record that would stand
for 34 years.
In 1935, after nearly twenty years of playing baseball, Babe Ruth retired. At the end of
his major league career he held 56 records, including most home runs with 714. In 1936, the
Baseball Hall of Fame was inaugurated and Babe Ruth was one of the first five inductees. In
1946 it was discovered that Babe Ruth had a malignant tumor on his neck, and health began to
rapidly deteriorate. In June of 1948, his number 3 was retired by the Yankees but just two months
later, he died from his battle with cancer. His funeral was held at St. Patricks Cathedral in New
York City. Over 100,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects to the baseball legend.
Babe Ruth was a huge inspiration for many people during his life. He helped save
baseball from the Black Sox scandal, where White Sox players accepted bribes to lose the 1919
World Series. He also gave hope to millions of people during the Great Depression, and he is
widely considered to be the greatest baseball player of all time.

Works Cited

"Introduction." Babe Ruth. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.

"Babe Ruth Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com." Baseball-Reference.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.