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Babe Ruth
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For the band named 'Babe Ruth', see Babe Ruth (band).
For the Major League Baseball World Series award named the 'Babe Ruth Award', see Babe Ruth Award.
George Herman "Babe" Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth
Personal Info
Birth February 6, 1895, Baltimore, MD
Death: August 16, 1948, New York, NY
Professional Career
Debut July 11, 1914, Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians, Fenway Park
Team(s) Boston Red Sox (1914-1919)
New York Yankees (1920-1934)
Boston Braves (1935)
HOF induction: 1936
Career Highlights
* Third in career home runs (714)
* First in career slugging percentage (.690)
* Third in career runs scored (2174)
* Second in career runs batted in (2213)
* Third in career base on balls (2062)
* Led American League in Batting Average once
* Led American League in On-base percentage 10 times
* Led American League in slugging percentage 13 times
* Led American League in OPS 13 times
* Led American League in runs scored 8 times
* Led American League in Total Bases 6 times
* Led American League in Home Runs 12 times
* Led American League in runs batted in 6 times
* Led American League in Walks 11 times
* Led American League in Strikeouts 5 times
* Led American League in Runs Created 9 times
* Led American League in Extra-Base Hits 7 times
* Led American League in Times on Base 8 times
* Led American League in At Bats per Home Run 13 times
* * Won 7 World Series
* New York Yankees All-Time Leader in Batting Average (.349), On-base percentage (.484), Slugging Percentage (.711), OPS (1.195), Runs (1,960), Total Bases (5,131), Home Runs (659), Walks (1,852), Runs Created (2,485), Times on Base (4,405) and At Bats per Home Run (10.9)
* Holds New York Yankees single season records for Batting Average (.393 in 1923), On-base percentage (.545 in 1923), Slugging Percentage (.849 in 1920), OPS (1.382 in 1920), Runs (177 in 1921), Total Bases (457 in 1921), Walks (170 in 1923), Runs Created (233 in 1921), Extra-Base Hits (119 in 1921), Times on Base (379 in 1923) and At Bats per Home Run (8.5 in 1920)
* Fourth in lowest career World Series ERA 0.87 (minimum 20 innings pitched)
* Second in consecutive scoreless innings pitched in the World Series (29 2/3 innings)
* Second highest batting average in a World Series (.625 1928)
* Second in career World Series home runs (15)
* Third in career World Series slugging average (.744)
* Third in career World Series OPS (1.211)
* Third in career World Series total bases (96)
* Third in career World Series runs scored (37)
* Fourth in career World Series runs batted in (33)
* Only player to hit 3 homes runs twice in a World Series game (1926, 1928)
George Herman Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), better known as "Babe Ruth" , also commonly known by the nicknames "The Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player and a national icon. Consistently chosen as the greatest baseball player in history, his home run hitting exploits and titanic appetite for living made him one of the representative figures of the Roaring Twenties. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he was the first player to hit over 30, 40 and 50 home runs in one season. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris with 61 home runs in 1961. He was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. In 1969, Ruth was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News named Ruth as Number One in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." In 1999, Ruth was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in fan balloting.
As Lawrence Ritter and Mark Rucker discuss in their book The Babe: A Life in Pictures, it is more than mere statistical records that make Babe Ruth unequivocally the greatest baseball player of all time. In several ways, he changed the nature of the game itself. His exploitation of the "power game" compelled other teams to follow suit, breaking the monopoly of the "inside game" that had been the primary strategy for decades. Ruth was the focal point of the start of what has arguably become the greatest sports dynasty in history, the New York Yankees. His international fame helped to fuel the rising interest in sports in the 1920s and 30s. He significantly expanded the fan base of baseball and triggered the major expansion of nearly all of the ballparks in the major leagues. Yankee Stadium is often called "The House That Ruth Built."
Contents
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* 1 Early days
* 2 The Red Sox years
o 2.1 Ruth the pitcher
o 2.2 Emergence as a hitter
o 2.3 Growing problems
o 2.4 Sold to New York
* 3 Ruth the Yankee
* 4 Impact on Baseball
* 5 The greatest season ever
* 6 Fall from grace
* 7 "The House That Ruth Built"
* 8 "The Bellyache Heard Around the World"
* 9 Return to the top
* 10 1927: A Team for the Ages
* 11 1928: Repeat
* 12 Personal life
o 12.1 Personality
o 12.2 Marital separation and the death of first wife
o 12.3 New marriage
* 13 1929–31
* 14 Last glory: the called shot
* 15 Decline and end with Yankees
* 16 Return to Boston
* 17 Retirement and later years
* 18 Illness
* 19 Death
* 20 Statistics
* 21 Trivia
* 22 See also
* 23 References
* 24 External links
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Early days
Ruth was born at 216 Emory Street in southern Baltimore, Maryland. The house, which was only a block from where Oriole Park at Camden Yards now stands, was rented by his maternal grandfather, Pius Schamberger, a German immigrant who eked out a living as an upholsterer. Babe's parents, Kate and George, Sr., lived above the saloon they owned and operated on Camden Street, coincidentally located where center field of Oriole Park at Camden Yards is today. Kate would walk to her father's home each time she gave birth to a child, eight in all. Only Babe and his sister, Mary (some sources give her name as Marnie), survived infancy. Young George was known for mischievous behavior. He skipped school, ran the streets, and committed petty crimes. By age seven, he was drinking, chewing tobacco, and had become difficult for his parents to control. Mary recalled how their father would beat Babe in a desperate attempt to bring the boy into line, but to no avail. He was finally sent to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a school run by Catholic brothers. Brother Matthias, a Roman Catholic brother and the school's disciplinarian, became the major influence in his life, the one man Babe respected above all others. It was Brother Matthias who taught him baseball, working with him for countless hours on hitting, fielding and, later, pitching.
The young Ruth (top row, far left) while at St Mary's Industrial School for Boys, where he learned the fundamentals of baseball.
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The young Ruth (top row, far left) while at St Mary's Industrial School for Boys, where he learned the fundamentals of baseball.
Because of his "toughness," George became the team's catcher. He liked the position because he was involved in every play. One day, as his team was losing, George started mocking his own pitcher. Brother Matthias promptly switched him from catcher to pitcher to teach him a lesson, but instead of getting his comeuppance, George shut the other team down.
Brother Gilbert brought Ruth to the attention of Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, and the man often credited with discovering him. In 1914 Dunn signed 19-year-old Ruth to pitch for his club, and took him to spring training in Florida, where a strong performance with both bat and ball saw him make the club, while his precocious talent and childlike personality saw him nicknamed "Dunn's Babe." On April 22, 1914, "The Babe" pitched his first professional game, a six-hit, 6-0 victory over the Buffalo Bisons, also of the International League.
On July 4 the Orioles had a record of 47-22, but their finances were in poor condition. In 1914 the breakaway Federal League, a rebel major league which would last only two years, placed a team in Baltimore, just across the street from the minor league Orioles, and the competition hurt Orioles' attendance significantly. To make ends meet, Dunn was obliged to dispose of his stars for cash, and he sold Ruth's contract with two other players to Joseph Lannin, owner of the Boston Red Sox, for a sum rumored to be between $20,000 and $35,000.
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The Red Sox years
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Ruth the pitcher
Ruth was a skillful pitcher, but the Red Sox's starting rotation was already stacked with lefties, so they initially made little use of him. With a 1–1 record, he sat on the bench for several weeks before being sent down to the minor league Providence Grays of Providence, Rhode Island. Pitching in combination with the young Carl Mays, Ruth helped the Grays win the pennant. At the end of the season, the Red Sox called him back to the majors, and Ruth would stay in the majors permanently. Shortly after the season, Ruth proposed to Helen Woodford, a waitress he met in Boston, and they were married in Baltimore on October 14, 1914.
Ruth pitching for the Red Sox at Comiskey Park.
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Ruth pitching for the Red Sox at Comiskey Park.
During spring training in 1915, Ruth secured a spot as a starter. He joined a fine pitching staff that included Rube Foster, Dutch Leonard, and a rejuvenated Smokey Joe Wood, and their pitching carried the Red Sox to the pennant. Ruth won 18 games and lost 8, and helped himself with the bat by hitting .315 and hitting his first four major league home runs. The Red Sox won the 1915 World Series, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 1, but because manager Bill Carrigan preferred right-handers, Ruth did not pitch and grounded out in his only at bat.
Ruth continued to improve in 1916. After a slightly shaky spring, he would make a case as the best pitcher in the American League. He went 23–12, with a 1.75 ERA and 9 shutouts; the shutout mark is still tied for the best mark for an A.L. left hander. The Red Sox offense had been weakened by the sale of Tris Speaker to the Cleveland Indians, but their strong pitching again took them to the World Series, where they met the Brooklyn Robins. In game 2 of the series, Ruth pitched a 14-inning complete game victory, helping the Red Sox to another World Series title, a 4–1 series win over the Robins. He repeated his strong performance in 1917, going 24–13, but the Red Sox could not keep pace with the Chicago White Sox and their 100 wins, and they missed out on a postseason appearance.
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Emergence as a hitter
After the 1917 season, in which he hit .325, albeit with limited at bats, teammate Harry Hooper suggested that Ruth might be more valuable in the lineup as an everyday player. In 1918, he began playing in the outfield more and pitching less. His contemporaries thought this was ridiculous; former teammate Tris Speaker speculated that the move would shorten Ruth's career, but Ruth himself wanted to hit more and pitch less. In 1918, Ruth batted .300 and led the A.L. in home runs with 11 despite having only 317 at bats, well above the total for an everyday player. He also pitched well, going 13–7 with a 2.22 ERA. Ruth's excellence as hitter and pitcher made a strong case for him being the best player in baseball that season. He also led the Red Sox to another World Series, where they met the Chicago Cubs.
Ruth batting in 1918, the first year he started to make a name for himself as a hitter.
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Ruth batting in 1918, the first year he started to make a name for himself as a hitter.
1918 is noted as the only time a war directly shortened the season. WWI dominated the news, and baseball, which escaped any sacrifice in 1917, was not as fortunate in the next year. A number of ballplayers were drafted into the armed forces in 1918, and some players left their teams to work in war production facilities to escape the draft. Since he was a married man, Ruth was exempt from the draft. After U.S. Provost Marshal General Enoch Crowder carried out the government's official "work or fight" order in June of 1918, baseball, qualified by the government as "nonessential," was forced to end the season in the middle of August. A 2-week grace period allowed the World Series to be played, but it was done in the heat of early September, the earliest ever. The 1918 World Series was marred not only by the specter of World War I, but by abysmal attendance, with such little revenue sharing that the players threatened to strike before Game 5. The Red Sox winning share of $1102 per player would be the lowest winning share in World Series history.
In the series, Ruth as a pitcher went 2–0 with a 1.06 ERA, helping the Red Sox to a 4–2 series victory over the Cubs. Ruth extended his World Series consecutive scoreless inning streak to 29 2/3 innings (a record that lasted until Whitey Ford broke it in 1961). Since the Cubs top left-handers Hippo Vaughn and Lefty Tyler pitched nearly all the innings, Ruth's left-hand batting kept him from the regular lineup, and he batted just five times. The Red Sox had won their fourth World Series in seven years and fifth overall, and Ruth had played a major part in three of them. From the 1903 inception of the World Series to 1918, the Boston Red Sox were the most successful franchise in major league baseball.
By 1919, Ruth was basically a full-time outfielder, pitching in only 17 of the 130 games in which he appeared. He set his first single-season home run record that year, hitting 29 home runs, breaking the previous record of 27 set by Ned Williamson in 1884, as well as batting .322 and driving in 114 runs. News of his batting feats spread rapidly, and wherever he played, large crowds turned out to see him. As his fame spread, so did his waistline. Since his time as an Oriole, teammates had marveled at Ruth's capacity for food, and by 1919 his physique had changed from a tall athletic frame to more of a rotund shape, although Ruth's weight would have wide fluctuations until the mid-1920s. Beneath his barrel-shaped body, his powerful muscular legs seemed strangely thin, but he was still a capable baserunner and outfielder. His contemporary Ty Cobb, noted for his cruel bench jockeying of Ruth, would later remark that Ruth "ran okay for a fat man."
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Growing problems
Despite his success on the field, Ruth had started to become a headache for the Red Sox. In July 1918, Ruth ignored a sign from manager Ed Barrow during an at bat that led to a heated verbal spat when Ruth reached the dugout. Barrow fined Ruth $500 when Ruth threatened to punch him in the nose. Ruth threw a tantrum and quit the team for a few days, and it was reported he had signed a new contract with the Chester Shipyards, a Pennsylvania-based pro team. It was also during the 1918 season that he started to refuse his pitching turns in the starting rotation, often citing injuries that Barrow would question. By this time, Ruth considered himself an everyday outfielder and had no more desire to pitch. "I'll win more games playing everyday in the outfield than I will pitching every fourth day," Ruth remarked. Ruth had the leverage of knowing he had become baseball's biggest star, and before the 1919 season, he was blunt with the Red Sox—he wanted to play every day and not pitch at all. Initially, Barrow and the Red Sox acquiesced, but injuries to the pitching staff forced a balking Ruth back into the rotation for spot starts.
There were also Ruth's off-the-field indiscretions. His late nights of partying and boozing were further sources of irritation to the franchise, and he had numerous fights with Barrow over curfew violations. Eventually Ruth was forced to write Barrow notes on what time he came in each night (notes Barrow never verified). He signed a 3-year contract in 1919 for $10,000 a year, but at the end of the season, he demanded $20,000 a year and threatened to sit out the 1920 season if he did not receive a new contract. Ruth was certainly worth the price, but he also needed more money to finance what he spent on fast automobiles, fine clothes, and entertaining his many women "friends." Red Sox owner Harry Frazee commented, "If Ruth doesn't want to work for the Red Sox, we can work out an advantageous trade." To some people, Ruth had become an enfant terrible, although after his 1919 season, it seemed almost inconceivable that anyone would seriously recommend trading him.
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Sold to New York
Harry Frazee, the Boston Red Sox owner from 1916 to 1923. Frazee's selling of Ruth has been called the worst and best deal in sports history, depending on one's perspective.
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Harry Frazee, the Boston Red Sox owner from 1916 to 1923. Frazee's selling of Ruth has been called the worst and best deal in sports history, depending on one's perspective.
Despite Ruth's box office appeal, the Red Sox were in a perilous financial position. After he took over the club in 1916, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee paid large salaries to attract the best players (some even accused him of trying to buy the pennant). But because of World War I, Red Sox attendance, as with every other major league team, fell off badly. Revenue was down, and the financial failure of the 1918 World Series did not help either. Frazee, whose true passion was the theater, owned several theaters and financed his own shows, but at that time his shows were also losing money. Having overextended himself financially, Frazee was desperate for cash, and his players were his only way to raise money. When the Red Sox championship run from 1912 to 1918 ended with a crash—the 1919 team finished 66–71—Frazee began selling off his best players. He sold many of them to the New York Yankees, who until then were a perennial losing club. Knowing he could never meet Ruth's salary demands and coupled with the other problems Frazee believed Ruth caused, Frazee worked out a deal with Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. For $125,000 and a loan of more than $300,000 (secured by Fenway Park), Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees on January 3, completing what was at the time the largest sum ever paid for a baseball player.
There was uneasiness in the Boston sports world just after the sale was announced, although a number of sportswriters supported the move. On January 5, 1920, Frazee faced the press and answered his critics with calmness and assurance. He justified his actions with these comments:
"It would be impossible to start next season with Ruth and have a smooth-working machine. Ruth had become simply impossible, and the Boston club could no longer put up with his eccentricities. I think the Yankees are taking a gamble. While Ruth is undoubtedly the greatest hitter the game has ever seen, he is likewise one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men ever to put on a baseball uniform."
The trading of Ruth sent the Red Sox franchise into a downward spiral. From 1920 to 1934, during Ruth's tenure as a Yankee, the Boston Red Sox were the worst team in the American League. During this span, they finished last 10 times, never finished above 5th place, and did not have a single winning season. Boston's failure to win even a single World Series for the next 86 years (until 2004), in contrast to the Yankees' overwhelming success, led to a superstition that was dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino."
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Ruth the Yankee
Ruth in 1920, the year he joined the Yankees.
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Ruth in 1920, the year he joined the Yankees.
Almost immediately, the Yankees' investment in Ruth began to pay off. He trained extensively over the winter, and in 1920, turned up at spring training physically fit. It soon became clear that the more hitter-friendly Polo Grounds suited him, and Ruth's 1920 season turned into one that no one had ever seen before. He hit 54 home runs, smashing his year-old record of 29, batted .376, and led the league in runs (158), RBIs (137), bases on balls (148); and his slugging average of .847 was a major league record for over 80 years, until Barry Bonds eclipsed it with a .863 mark in 2001 (this record and all of Bonds' others are currently held in question due to nagging allegations of steroid-use). Ruth's season was so dominant that it led to one of the most amazing statistics in baseball history: In 1920, Ruth out-homered all but one team in baseball (the Philadelphia Phillies managed to hit 64).
Ruth's remarkable season had the Yankees in a serious pennant chase for the first time since 1904 (the year a famous wild pitch by Jack Chesbro cost them the pennant). The Yankees battled the entire season with the Cleveland Indians, led by player-manager Tris Speaker, Ruth's old Red Sox teammate, and the Chicago White Sox, the team well known for the infamous "Black Sox scandal". In the end, the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Robins won the pennant and the Indians eventually took the World Series.
Ruth was a natural fit in New York City—the biggest star in the game needed the largest stage, the largest crowds, the largest media coverage. His flamboyance, vitality, and obvious flaws symbolized New York. His persona transcended baseball, and he was one of the enduring emblems of the carefree spirit of the roaring '20s. The large immigrant communities of New York City were drawn to him, and the Italian enclave of New York gave him the nickname bambino ("babe", "baby"). Even the black community adopted him as one of their own; Ruth was falsely reported as having a "secret" black heritage, a story propagated with pride among players in the ***** Leagues. To many people, Ruth was more than a baseball player, he was a national icon. He became the dominant name in the storied New York Yankees franchise, whose winning tradition he inaugurated. Ruth and New York in 1920 were a perfect fit.
Although Ruth is widely seen as an iconic figure of New York City, he enjoyed frequent trips to the Carolinas to hunt game and fish, most notably Beaufort, North Carolina, where he resided on Gordon Street during his numerous stays.
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Impact on Baseball
Ruth's impact on baseball went well beyond his statistics. Attendance, which had stagnated in the 1910s, greatly increased because of the attention Ruth brought to the game, and he was at the forefront of the new live ball era that revolutionized how the game was played. Some people even gave Ruth credit for "saving" baseball after the Black Sox scandal broke in the fall of 1920, and although this was not true, Ruth's exploits on the field likely won back some fans who had been soured by the scandal.
Increased Attendance
Obviously Ruth was not the only reason more fans were coming to the ballpark. Some people wished to escape the post–World War I angst and wanted a "Return to Normalcy", as a 1920 Presidential campaign slogan of Warren G. Harding put it. The dramatic increase in home runs and scoring was also getting fans' attention. These and other reasons were factors, but it is no coincidence that the Ruth-led 1920 Yankees shattered the league attendance mark. The Yankees drew nearly 1.3 million fans, breaking the old mark of the 1908 New York Giants by nearly 400,000 fans. Attendance dramatically increased in every major league city in 1920, and seven teams set their own attendance records. The attention Ruth generated for the game with all his home runs, playing in New York, his personality, and even his off-the-field activities (some not always positive) was bringing an unprecedented spotlight to baseball. One reporter wrote, "This new fan didn't know where first base was, but he had heard of Babe Ruth and wanted to see him hit a home run. When the Babe hit one, the fan went back the next day and knew not only where first base was, but second base as well." Baseball still had its problems - a segregated game, competitive imbalance, and owners with complete control over the players - but the popularity of the game increased so much that the 1920s has often been called baseball's first Golden Age, and Babe Ruth can justifiably be given a large share of the credit.
Beginning of the live ball era
Ruth's home runs were also at the center of an offensive explosion in baseball. In 1918, the major league batting average was .254; in 1921 it was .291. The league ERA went from 2.77 to 4.02, runs increased 25% and home runs increased 300% over the same time span. In just a few years, baseball had gone from the most anemic hitting era in baseball history (the dead-ball era) to what would be the greatest hitting era—the 1920s.
A few factors have been cited for the dramatic increase in offense. One major reason was that baseball in 1920 outlawed the spitball pitch (with some exceptions), the emery (scuffed) pitch, and all unorthodox pitching deliveries. The spitball was a devastating pitch to the batter, as it gave a pitcher great movement on the ball, especially downward. Another factor for increased scoring was the league mandate to regularly replace the baseball during a game. Previously, the same discolored, tobacco-stained ball was used over and over until it was falling apart. The overused ball would lose its resiliency, making it much more difficult to hit it for distance. The impetus for this change was the death of Ray Chapman in 1920, who was killed when he was hit in the head with a dirty, darkened pitched ball from Carl Mays, and this condition of the ball may have contributed to Chapman losing it in the hitting background.
Another reason given for the increase in home runs was that more players were emulating Ruth's full, free swing. Before Ruth and the Live Ball Era, the emphasis was for batters to choke up on the bat and hit for direction, not distance. With his swing, Ruth showed it was possible to hit a prodigious amount of home runs, and more players started to swing for the fences. With the home run now a weapon, more managers lessened their previous absolute control of the offense, and they started to play for the big inning by giving their players freedom to swing away. By 1921, stolen bases were half the total from just a few years earlier, and the use of the sacrifice and hit and run, additional overused strategies during the dead-ball era, also decreased.
Skeptical of the new offense in the game, some baseball writers of the time claimed the baseball was livened (usually done by winding it tighter, or changing the cork center, or both). This assertion even became accepted as a fact over time, even though there was no scientific evidence the ball had changed. One study in August 1920 confirmed the ball was the same as in previous years, and early in 1921, also hearing rumors about the "juiced" ball, National League President John Heydler launched his own investigation and also concluded the ball was no different. Heydler's findings stated the outlawing of the spitball was the predominant factor for the increased scoring. Those who claimed the ball was livened may not have had hard evidence, but they may have had history and statistics on their side, as only one other time (in 1890's, when the pitching mound was moved back, which led to a dramatic increase in scoring) in baseball history had (and has) there been such a quantum leap in offense over such a short time.
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The greatest season ever
Babe Ruth in 1921, the year he was at his best.
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Babe Ruth in 1921, the year he was at his best.
As historic as Ruth's 1920 season was, his 1921 season was even better. In fact, it is statistically the greatest season by any batter in major league history. In 152 games, Ruth batted .378, had 204 hits, 44 doubles, 16 triples, 59 home runs (8th all-time), scored 177 runs (2nd all-time), had 171 RBIs (7th all-time), 144 bases on balls, with 119 extra base hits (1st all-time), an .846 slugging average (3rd all-time), and amassed 457 total bases (1st all-time). Using advanced statistical methods to measure a player's value, some of the best present-day baseball statistical researchers have shown that Ruth's season is unmatched. The Stats Major League Baseball Handbook, a massive, encyclopedic baseball work compiled by noted baseball researchers Bill James, Neil Munro, Don Zminda, and John Dewan, developed a runs created formula to value how many runs a player produces. Using their formula, the 208 runs created by Ruth in 1921 is the highest total for any player in any season.
Ruth's season was monumental on its own, but the Yankees had many quality players who helped lead the team to its first-ever pennant. Bob Meusel, Frank Baker, and Wally Pipp were part of a lineup that batted .300 and scored 948 runs. The pitching was led by Carl Mays, who won 27 games, with fine seasons by Waite Hoyt and Bob Shawkey.
The Yankees met the New York Giants in the World Series, managed by John McGraw. The Giants excelled at McGraw's time-tested strategy, using hit-and-run, stolen base, and bunt, and despite hitting only 75 home runs, they led the N.L. in runs scored. Their star was slick-fielding Frankie Frisch, who batted .341 and led the league with 49 stolen bases. The Giants lineup also included future Hall of Fame players George Kelly, Ross Youngs, and Dave Bancroft.
The Yankees were up 3–2 in the series, but Ruth had badly scraped his elbow in Game 2 sliding into third. He continued to play, but his arm eventually became swollen and infected, and he was told by the team physician not to play the rest of the series (although he would pinch hit in game 8). Without Ruth, the Yankees seemed mentally beaten, and they lost the last 3 games. Ruth had a respectable series, going 5 for 16 for a .316 average, driving in 5 runs and hitting his first World Series home run, but he also struck out 8 times. The Giants had a measure of revenge on the Yankees, who were also using the Polo Grounds as their home and had been embarrassed by being outdrawn in attendance by the Yankees.
During the year, Ruth was invited to Columbia University for a battery of tests. Doctors discovered that the pitch he could hit hardest was just above the knees, on the outside corner of the plate. And when he hit perfectly, in still air, the ball would carry 450 to 500 feet. In a test of steadiness, Ruth's eyes responded to flashing electric bulbs in a darkened chamber 2/100th of a second quicker than the average person's. Science corroborated what fans already knew: Babe Ruth possessed preternatural gifts. Perhaps Jumping Joe Dugan put it best: "Born? Hell, Babe Ruth wasn't born! The son of a ***** fell from a tree!" [1]
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Fall from grace
The 1921 World Series appearance would indirectly lead to problems for Ruth. Seeking to avoid diminishing the meaning of the fall classic, organized baseball instituted a rule in 1911 that prohibited World Series players from playing in exhibition games during the off-season. Ruth, typically, decided this rule did not apply to him, and even though Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis had warned Ruth about the trip, Ruth went ahead and embarked on his usual lucrative barnstorming tour with two teammates. Landis came down hard on the recalcitrant players, and he suspended Ruth and teammate Bob Meusel for the first six weeks of what was to be a turbulent 1922 season for Ruth. When he returned to the Yankees on May 20, Yankee management named Ruth their first on-field captain, but just five days after his return, he was ejected for arguing an umpire's call at third, and exacerbated the situation by climbing into the seats to confront a heckling fan. The captaincy was stripped, and Ruth's temper would see him suspended three more times in 1922 for arguing with umpires.
Ruth and Giants manager John McGraw prior to the 1922 World Series. When Ruth was still a pitcher, McGraw once commented: "If he plays every day, the bum will hit into a hundred double plays a season."
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Ruth and Giants manager John McGraw prior to the 1922 World Series. When Ruth was still a pitcher, McGraw once commented: "If he plays every day, the bum will hit into a hundred double plays a season."
While Ruth suffered his first professional setback, his personal life was worse. Helen disliked the celebrity lifestyle to which the Babe was drawn. With his wife on their farm near Boston with their adopted daughter, Dorothy, Ruth indulged his hedonism as never before. His love of fine food was matched only by his appetite for alcohol, the nightlife, and casual sex. Helen and Babe's marital problems compromised her delicate health. She was frequently ill with numerous ailments, which reportedly included several nervous breakdowns.
The suspension at the beginning of the season affected Ruth at the plate. He struggled all year, and his batting, on-base and slugging averages fell dramatically (.315/.434/.672). He hit 35 home runs with 99 runs batted in, but suspensions and some injuries limited his playing time to just 110 games. All the time he missed on the field hurt the Yankees, but they had barely enough to get past the .420-hitting George Sisler and the rest of the heavy-hitting St. Louis Browns for the pennant.
Ruth's struggles continued into the World Series against the Giants. John McGraw instructed his pitchers to throw Ruth nothing but curve balls, and Ruth never adjusted. He went just 2 for 17 - .118 average - and the Yankees were defeated by the Giants for the second straight year, 4–0, with one tie. Compared to his first two incredible seasons as a Yankee, the 1922 season was a major disappointment.
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"The House That Ruth Built"
Ruth regrouped from his troubled 1922 season. He worked out hard in the off-season and he came into the 1923 season in good physical shape, and it would show in his play all season. He batted .393, which would be the highest of his career (although he lost the batting title to Harry Heilmann, who hit .403), and his home run total of 41, a modest total for him, led the majors. Ruth also led the A.L. in walks (170) (a single-season record not broken until Barry Bonds walked 177 times in 2001); runs (131), RBIs (151), extra-base hits (99), and slugging average (.764). He also missed only two games, compared to over 40 games the previous season. Ruth had returned to his dominant form, and the Yankees easily returned to the World Series.
The opening of Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923.
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The opening of Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923.
The 1923 season also saw the opening of Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had been sharing the Polo Grounds with the Giants since 1913, but since Ruth's arrival, the Yankees had been significantly outdrawing the Giants. With the increased revenue and team success, as well as a threat of eviction by the Giants, the Yankees needed a new home. In 1921, Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert bought a small piece of land in the Bronx for $600,000 from the Astor estate. After a year of construction and a cost of $2.5 million (a huge sum at the time), the 62,000-seat Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. In the first game played there, Ruth fittingly hit the stadium's first home run, and sportswriter Fred Lieb soon nicknamed Yankee Stadium "The House That Ruth Built."
Detractors of the stadium would call it "The House Built for Ruth", and "Ruthville", as the short 295-foot distance to right field seemed tailor-made for some "cheap" home runs for the left-handed, pull-hitting Ruth. In time, this argument would have little statistical support. From 1923 to 1932, in his prime home-run-hitting years at Yankee Stadium, Ruth hit more home runs on the road, and in his 60 home run season of 1927, he hit 32 on the road.
For the third straight year the Yankees faced the Giants in the World Series. Injured during the 1921 World Series, and completely ineffective in the 1922 series, Ruth was the best player on the field in the 1923 World Series. He went 7 for 19, a .368 average, slugged 1.000, walked 8 times, scored 8 runs, hit 3 home runs, and led the Yankees to a 4–2 series victory. The Yankees had their first World Series title, and the start of what became the most successful major sports team in North America. From 1923 to the present, the Yankees have appeared in 37 World Series, winning 26.
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"The Bellyache Heard Around the World"
A hospitalized Ruth in 1925.
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A hospitalized Ruth in 1925.
During spring training in 1925, Ruth began suffering severe stomach cramps and a fever. His condition gradually became worse, and on April 7 while the Yankees were staying in Asheville, North Carolina, a weakened Ruth completely collapsed in a bathroom. It was agreed Ruth needed to return to New York to recover, and he was accompanied by Paul Krichell, a noted Yankees scout. Ruth's collapse was not newsworthy until one London newspaper ran a headline that Ruth was dead, a story Krichell quickly quelled when Ruth's train reached Washington, D.C. By the time their train reached Pennsylvania Station in New York, Ruth was wrapped in blankets and unconscious, and his body had to be lifted out of a train window. During the wait for an ambulance, Ruth briefly opened his eyes and saw his wife Helen and Ed Barrow, his former Red Sox manager and now the Yankees general manager. Shortly thereafter, Ruth became delirious and flailed his arms and legs uncontrollably, and needed to be held down by those around him. On the ambulance ride to St. Vincent's hospital, Ruth again suffered a couple more convulsive attacks that were so violent it took six assistants to hold him down. He was given a sedative, and by the time the ambulance reached the hospital Ruth was calm.
Examined by Dr. Edward King, Ruth's personal physician, Dr. King diagnosed Ruth as having a touch of the flu as well as an intestinal attack. Dr. King agreed to let Ruth rejoin the team, but after another week, Ruth's fever became worse, and after another examination, Dr. King now diagnosed Ruth as having an "intestinal abscess," and he would need surgery. The surgery, performed on April 17, took only 20 minutes and was called a complete success.
Dr. King stated Ruth's diet was the problem, as Ruth had not watched how much he ate and drank. Ruth's weight was high at this time, up to about 256 pounds. It was writer W.O. McGeehan who invented the story that Ruth's collapse was caused by overindulging on hot dogs and soda pop before a game, a fanciful story which led to Ruth's illness being dubbed "the bellyache heard around the world." This story was not that far-fetched, as Ruth, noted for episodes of gluttony, frequently did eat hot dogs before games, and he would wash them down with bicarbonate of soda to keep from feeling bloated.
Some newspaper reporters whispered that Ruth actually had a bad case of gonorrhea, but no one seemed to be willing to put this assertion in print. An old teammate of Ruth's vouched for the venereal disease story, saying it was the entire reason for Ruth's problems. A case of gonorrhea would not have been out of the question for the promiscuous Ruth, and some of his symptoms of chills, fever, and general pain are associated with some more complicated symptoms of gonorrhea. Still, abdominal surgery is a very unusual treatment for venereal disease, even during this medical age, and Ruth did have a clear visible scar running from just under his rib cage to his left lower abdomen. Evidence would suggest Ruth's illness was what physicians had stated, but it is possible Ruth may have had both problems, with physicians intentionally not mentioning the venereal problems.
In the book Yankees Century, it is speculated Ruth's 1925 health problems may have been related to his binge drinking, and the authors state that Ruth's intestinal abscess was actually surgery to repair a hernia which Ruth incurred during a spring training game. Certainly dangerous health problems from binge drinking were a more likely occurrence during Prohibition, where thousands of bootleggers were making and selling their own cheap and often dangerous alcohol that could be laced with methanol and other toxins that could cause blindness, the "jake leg", and even death from an accidental poisoning. Ruth, who usually reserved his heavy drinking to the off-season, may have drunk some tainted alcohol, which compromised his health.
Treatment of alcoholism and its ill effects during this age could be as bad or even worse than the illness itself. Ruth may have been subjected to a "therapy" of forced stomach pumping, heavy use of sedatives, hot baths, and the ingestion of substances such as ‘double chloride of gold' (used in the popular "Keeley Cure" at the time). These treatments could last weeks and leave the patient weakened and dazed. During his 6-week stay at St. Vincent's, Ruth was allowed supervised workouts at the stadium for a week, where he then returned to the hospital and the end of each workout, this perhaps suggested Ruth was undergoing some regular treatments at the hospital. Whatever the real reason for Ruth's 1925 health problems, it remains to the present day as one of the most guarded mysteries of his life.
After six weeks of recovery, Ruth rejoined the Yankees on May 26. He had lost 30 pounds (14 kg), was weak and out of condition, but he was insistent on being back in the lineup. He clearly came back too soon. In July, he was only hitting about .250 as he struggled miserably trying to find his swing. Eventually he regained some of his strength and managed to get somewhat on track, but he finished with a .290 average and 25 home runs in 98 games. Except for the last couple of years at the end of his career, the 1925 season was easily Ruth's worst season in the majors.
The Yankees 1925 season went as badly as Ruth's. Injuries, age, and poor play had them at the bottom of the standings all year, and they finished next to last in the A.L. with a 69–85 mark. Later in the season, Ruth had a well-publicized fight with manager Miller Huggins, who fined Ruth $5,000 and suspended him nine days for numerous curfew violations. Only after an apology to Huggins and the team he was allowed to play again, and Ruth would never again question Huggins's authority. One bright spot of the season was on June 2 when first baseman Wally Pipp was benched to put a young Lou Gehrig in the lineup, a lineup Gehrig stayed in for the next 2,130 consecutive games.
Coming off his worst season, Ruth even realized he needed to get in condition, and he went to fitness expert Artie McGovern, whose gym on Madison Avenue in New York City was noted for getting the rich and famous into shape. McGovern said when Ruth came to him in December of 1925, he found Ruth a “physical wreck.” He said Ruth was noticeably overweight at 254 pounds, with a high pulse, a bulging stomach, and flabby muscles. Bad eating and drinking habits had also left Ruth’s digestive system a mess. McGovern also noted that even the slightest exertion left Ruth short of breath. McGovern stated Ruth’s physical condition was as bad as about any person he had seen come to his gym, and he put Ruth on a vigorous workout schedule. The exercise regimen for Ruth included an early wake-up, then leg lifts and crunches, followed by a fast walk, then a massage-all before breakfast. Other exercises included work on a stationary bike, rowing machines, and boxing with McGovern. Ruth’s diet was also was radically changed, as gone were the beef and sweets and snacks, now replaced with more eggs, salads, vegetables, chicken or lamb.
In just six weeks, McGovern’s program had completely transformed Ruth. Ruth was physically stronger, his pulse dropped from 92 to 78, and he had lost 44 pounds. Ruth seemed invigorated when he arrived for spring training in 1926, and he went on the have a great season in 1926, silencing many critics who thought his career was in decline. Ruth would spend each off-season working with McGovern, and although his weight crept back up over the years (since being older the weight became harder to lose), Ruth play remained at a high level for several more years until age began to diminish his skills.
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Return to the top
The 1925 season proved to be an aberration, as in 1926 he rebounded to being the best player in baseball. Ruth led the league in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, bases on balls, and slugging average. He finished second in batting average with a .372 average, just .006 short of the Triple Crown (a feat Ruth would never accomplish). The Yankees also bounced back, going from a 7th place finish in 1925 all the way back to the World Series, where they met the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals were led by star player-manager Rogers Hornsby, who, for him, had experienced a bad year at the plate, hitting just .317, down from his average of .401 for the previous five seasons. The Cardinals had other good players, including Jesse Haines, Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, and Grover Alexander, now a 39-year-old epileptic and alcoholic, who a decade earlier (with Walter Johnson) was one of the two best pitchers in baseball.
The Yankees had been heavy favorites in the series, but the Cardinals pushed the series to a 7th game. The highlights of the series up to this point had been Ruth's three home run game in game 4 (the first time a player hit 3 home runs in a World Series game), and Alexander's clutch pitching that won games 2 and 6.
In game 7, the Cardinals clung to a 3–2 lead in the 7th inning, until the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs. The stage was now set for one of the classic moments in baseball history. Hornsby removed starting pitcher Haines, who had developed a blister on his finger, and summoned Alexander from the bullpen. Alexander was napping in the bullpen at the time and, according to some accounts, may have been suffering the effects of a hangover from the previous night's celebration of his game 6 win. Facing rookie star Tony Lazzeri, Alexander's first pitch was a ball. The next pitch was a low fastball that was called a strike. The next pitch sailed near Lazzeri's head for ball two. Lazzeri almost assured himself baseball immortality on the next pitch, which he lined to left field that just went foul, missing a home run by a couple of feet. With the count now 2–2, Alexander struck out Lazzeri swinging on a letter-high fastball, ending the Yankees rally.
Ruth being thrown out trying to steal second, ending the 1926 World Series.
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Ruth being thrown out trying to steal second, ending the 1926 World Series.
Alexander retired the side in the 8th and the first two men in the 9th, when Ruth came up to bat. Pitching carefully to him, Alexander walked Ruth. With Bob Meusel at bat, and Lou Gehrig in the on-deck circle, Ruth pulled the most notable on-the-field gaffe of his career. He inexplicably took off trying to steal second base, and was easily thrown out by catcher Bob O'Farrell, ending the game and giving the Cardinals the World Series. Alexander's strikeout of Lazzeri would go down in baseball lore, and Ruth, despite an outstanding series, was perceived as a goat by some. In Ruth's defense, some would say the way Alexander was pitching, the Yankees were not likely going to start a rally anyway, and a steal of second might have upset Alexander, and allowed a single to tie the game. Ruth did not dwell on the play much, as his baseball mentality throughout his entire career was such that he was never afraid of looking bad or failing.
Ruth's superb 1926 season ended on a bittersweet note, but he had silenced many of his critics who said his career was on the decline after the 1925 season. Nevertheless, while Ruth had put up some amazing statistics in his first seven years as a Yankee, he was able to lead the Yankees to just one World Series title, and they had lost three others. From this point, though, he would enjoy greater World Series success: in fact, Ruth played in three more series and never again lost even a single World Series game.
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1927: A Team for the Ages
In 1927, the Ruthian Yankees reached a peak that few teams in baseball history have ever equaled, and many present-day baseball historians cite the 1927 Yankees as the greatest baseball team of all-time. They went 110–44, winning the A.L. pennant by 19 games, and then proceeded to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Only four teams have won more games: the 1906 Chicago Cubs, who won 116; the 1954 Cleveland Indians, who won 111; the 1998 Yankees, who won 114; and the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who won 116 games (although the latter two played in 162-game seasons). The Cubs and Indians, however, both lost in the World Series, and the Mariners did not even reach the World Series (they were defeated by the Yankees in the 2001 American League Championship Series).
The 1927 New York Yankees, one of the greatest baseball teams of all-time. (Ruth is on top row, fifth from the left.)
The 1927 New York Yankees, one of the greatest baseball teams of all-time. (Ruth is on top row, fifth from the left.)
The 1927 Yankees batted .307, slugged .489, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. The Yankees did not just beat teams, they demoralized them, and their powerful lineup was again being called "Murderers' Row" (a term first used by a sportswriter to describe the 1919 pre-Ruth Yankee lineup). Center fielder Earle Combs had a career year, batting .356 with 231 hits, leftfielder Bob Meusel batted .337 with 103 RBIs, and second baseman Tony Lazzeri drove in 102 runs. The pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.20, and included Waite Hoyt, who went 22-7, and Herb Pennock, who went 19-8. It was Lou Gehrig, though, who broke through and established himself as a great player. Gehrig had one of the greatest seasons of any hitter. He batted .373, slugged .765, had 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, drove in a then-record 175 runs, and was voted A.L. MVP. In time, the 1927 Yankees would send six players to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ruth hitting a home run in the 1927 World Series.
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Ruth hitting a home run in the 1927 World Series.
It was also a magical year for Ruth. As late as August 10, Gehrig had the home run lead over him, 38-35. Gehrig hit only 9 the rest of the season, but Ruth went on a home run tear, swatting 25 homers in the final 42 games. By the next to last game of the season, he was at 59 homers. On September 30, he lined a shot down the line into the right-field stands for number 60 off Washington Senators pitcher Tom Zachary. Zachary argued to umpire Bill Dinneen the ball was foul, but Dinneen upheld the home run. Ruth had set his home run record of 59 in 1921, but had been unable to even approach it until this season. After his 60th, an elated Ruth shouted in the clubhouse, "Sixty, count 'em sixty! Let's see some son of a ***** top that!" In addition to the home runs, Ruth batted .356, drove in 164 runs and had a slugging average of .772.
The Yankees met the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, a team that was just two years removed from a World Series title. Since their last title the Pirates had added brothers Paul and Lloyd Waner to a good-hitting lineup that included Pie Traynor and Glenn Wright. Before game 1, it was said the Yankees smashing balls over the walls in spacious Forbes Field during batting practice had the Pirate players awestruck and beaten before the series even started. The series, however, was not a Yankee offensive onslaught. Two of the games were decided by one run, the Yankees batting just .279 with 2 home runs (both by Ruth), and they averaged fewer runs per game than their season average. It would be the Yankees pitching that actually dominated the series. Their team ERA was 2.00, and the Pirates batted just .223 and scored only 10 runs in the 4 games.
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1928: Repeat
The Yankees' domination in 1927 carried over into the first half of the 1928 season, where they built a 13-game lead in July. But the Yankees were soon plagued by some key injuries, erratic pitching and inconsistent play, and a talented Philadelphia Athletics club quickly closed the gap. In early September, the A's took over first place with a 1-game lead, but in a pivotal series later that month, the Yankees took 3 out of 4 games and held on to win the pennant.
Ruth's play in 1928 mirrored his team's play. He got off to a hot start, and on August 1, had 42 home runs, well ahead of the pace of his record 60 home run season set the previous season. But Ruth's power waned, and he hit just 12 home runs in the last two months of the regular season. Still, he ended the season with an impressive 54, the fourth (and last) time he passed 50 home runs in a season.
Ruth and Lou Gehrig, one of the greatest slugging duos in baseball history.
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Ruth and Lou Gehrig, one of the greatest slugging duos in baseball history.
The Yankees had a World Series rematch with the St. Louis Cardinals, who had upset them in the 1926 series. The Cardinals had the same core players as the 1926 team, except for Rogers Hornsby at second base, who was traded for Frankie Frisch after the 1926 season.
The series was no contest. The Yankees swept the Cardinals 4-0 with no game close as Ruth and Gehrig completely demolished Cardinal pitching. Ruth went 10–16 for a .625 average (the second highest average in a World Series), and for the second time he hit 3 home runs in a World Series game (in game 4). Gehrig was just as great, going 5–11 for a .455 average, with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs. The Yankees also extracted some revenge on Grover Alexander, who went 0–1, with an ERA of 19.80 in 5 innings pitched. The Yankees had their second straight title, and the 4 game sweeps in back-to-back World Series has been accomplished only two other times, by the 1938 and 1939 Yankees, and the 1998 and 1999 Yankees.
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Personal life
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Personality
Charity work, especially for children, was something Ruth enjoyed. Here he signs autographs for some hospitalized youngsters.
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Charity work, especially for children, was something Ruth enjoyed. Here he signs autographs for some hospitalized youngsters.
For someone who performed larger-than-life heroics on the field, Ruth was very often less than the ideal role model in his behavior and personality. He drank too much, his speech was splattered with profanities, he chased women while being a married man, he drove cars recklessly, was frequently childishly rebellious with a disregard for rules and authority figures, and sometimes had a quick temper with players, umpires, and even fans. He even had fights with his own teammates in the clubhouse and on the bench, and some teammates resented the fame and money bestowed on the flamboyant and often showboating Ruth.
Yet despite all of his well-publicized faults, millions of people adored him. He was generous with his time and money, and set up numerous charities, many directed toward children. On a number of occasions after games, Ruth, not wanting to disappoint any fans, would stand for hours signing autographs. Even the bad feelings he incurred among his teammates were only temporary. Bob Shawkey, Ruth’s Yankees teammate and later his Yankees manager for one season (1930), said, “People sometimes got mad at him, but I never heard of anyone who did not like Babe Ruth.” Ernie Shore, Ruth's teammate when they both played for the Red Sox, would say of Ruth, "He was the best-hearted fellow who ever lived. He gave you the shirt off of his back."
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Marital separation and the death of first wife
Ruth's womanizing eventually led to a separation with his wife Helen. Indeed, for Ruth women were always available and he frequently took advantage of the opportunity. He seldom talked about his sexual exploits but never shied away when asked, and once claimed he bedded every woman in a St. Louis brothel in one night. The promiscuous lifestyle came with consequences, as it may have led to his 1925 health problems (q.v.), and he also had a couple of paternity suits filed against him, although neither of these accusations were sustained. His wife Helen undoubtedly heard about her husband's sexual escapades over the years, and seemingly managed to ignore much of it. In 1925, however, with their marriage well beyond repair, both agreed to a separation, but neither sought a divorce, as they were Catholic.
Ruth at the graveside service of his first wife Helen.
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Ruth at the graveside service of his first wife Helen.
Unfortunately, Helen did not live long after her separation from Ruth. On January 11, 1929, Helen died in a house fire in Watertown, Massachusetts. She had been living there with a dentist, Dr. Edward Kinder, who was away at the time. Fire examiners later determined that the house had been improperly electrically wired. As a result, the house's fuses were too large and did not cut off the power when the circuits became overloaded. Helen had taken Kinder's last name, and after her death, he was shocked to learn that his common law wife was the legal wife of Babe Ruth. Despite their separation, Ruth cried when he heard the news, and he and a number of Yankees attended her funeral. Helen was just 31.
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New marriage
Ruth with his second wife Claire Merritt in 1930.
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Ruth with his second wife Claire Merritt in 1930.
By the time of Helen's death, Ruth was involved with a widowed socialite named Claire Merritt Hodgson, a woman he first met in 1923. Claire was educated, socially sophisticated, and a somewhat strong-minded woman. Babe was instantly attracted to her, and they began regularly seeing each other after his separation from his wife Helen. Helen's death cleared the way for Ruth to marry Claire, and they took their wedding vows on April 17, 1929.
Upon marriage, Claire took complete control of their finances, and managed Babe's often free-wheeling spending, although he never had any financial problems. She frequently traveled with the team on road trips, and curtailed some of his late-night social activities. She also helped manage his diet, even though she did little cooking herself. Claire cut down his food portions, reduced his starchy foods and desserts, and forced him to eat more meat and vegetables. Ruth loved to drink, and even though he could usually control it, Claire put a limit on it. Claire proved to be an ideal companion for Babe, and they remained together until his death.
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1929–31
A well-dressed Ruth in 1930.
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A well-dressed Ruth in 1930.
In 1929, the Yankees World Series run ended, and the three-year period from 1929 to 1931 would be the longest stretch (excluding his ending years of 1933–35) that a Ruth team did not win a pennant. The offense was still highly productive, and in fact the 1930 and 1931 teams outscored the great 1927 team, but the pitching fell off badly. The Philadelphia Athletics overtook the Yankees, and for the next three years won the A.L. pennant. Manager Connie Mack had rebuilt the A's into one of the best teams ever, and they won the World Series in 1929 and 1930 but were upset in the 1931 series in seven games. The powerful lineup was led by Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, and the pitching was anchored by Lefty Grove, who undoubtedly was the best pitcher of his era (not to mention one of the greatest pitchers of all-time). Although the Yankees slipped, Ruth continued to put up stellar numbers, and led or tied for the league lead in home runs all three of these years.
During the 1929 season another tragedy struck close to Ruth. Yankee manager Miller Huggins developed an ugly looking carbuncle on his face that turned out to be a symptom of erysipelas, a streptococcal infection of the skin. The bacterial infection had been left untreated for too long, and sepsis developed, which proved fatal for Huggins in September. Huggins had been the only manager Ruth had as a Yankee, and despite many run-ins with the feisty Huggins, Ruth had great admiration and respect for him. After hearing of his death, Ruth and several Yankee players cried, and the league paid its respect by canceling all games the day after his death.
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Last glory: the called shot
The Yankees were back on top in 1932. The team went 107–47, and easily won the pennant under manager Joe McCarthy, who had taken over in 1931 (a job Ruth had eagerly wanted). The Philadelphia Athletics run ended, and soon the team was broken up as difficult economic times made it impossible for the A's to meet their stars' salary demands. Since their last pennant four years earlier, the Yankees had rebuilt their team by adding pitchers Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez, infielder Joe Sewell, and catcher Bill Dickey, all future Hall of Fame players.
For Ruth, it was the last year where he produced at a high level. He hit .341, with 41 home runs and 137 RBIs, but it was the first time since 1917 that Ruth did not lead the league in home runs when he had played nearly a full season of games. Jimmie Foxx nearly equaled Ruth's 60 mark with 58 home runs in 1932, and it was apparent that Ruth was no longer the home run king. Ruth also missed 21 games, and at the end of the year had missed a couple of weeks due to severe abdominal pains that left him weakened before the start of the World Series. His knees by then also had gone bad, often keeping him from running as well in the outfield or getting extra base hits.
An artist's depiction of Ruth's "called shot."
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An artist's depiction of Ruth's "called shot."
The Yankees opponents in the 1932 World Series were the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were playing just a little better than mediocre ball much of the season, but in a weak year in the National League, they were still in first place with a 53–46 record under manager Rogers Hornsby. After a heated argument with Cubs president William Veeck, Hornsby was fired and replaced by Charlie Grimm, the Cubs first baseman. Grimm led the Cubs to a 37–18 record the rest the season, and they edged out the Pittsburgh Pirates for the pennant. The Cubs built their team on pitching and, led by Lon Warneke, Guy Bush, and Charlie Root, led the league in ERA. The everyday lineup also had fine players, such as Billy Herman, Kiki Cuyler, and Gabby Hartnett.
The Yankees dispatched the Cubs in 4 games with one of the greatest offensive displays in a World Series, certainly the best in a 4-game series. The Yankees batted .313 and averaged over 9 runs a game. Lou Gehrig did much of the damage. Gehrig went 9–17, a .529 average, scored 9 runs, drove in 8, and hit 3 home runs. The series, however, is remembered for one memorable play that occurred in game 3 of the series. It would be Babe Ruth's last great moment on the baseball stage, when he hit a famous home run that became known as Babe Ruth's Called Shot.
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Decline and end with Yankees
Despite his heroics in the 1932 World Series, Ruth was informed in 1933 by Ed Barrow that his salary would be cut 33%, from $75,000 to $50,000 a year. Ruth's salary had been cut before the 1932 season, but it was only a $5,000 cut. It was the Great Depression, and teams were losing money, although the Yankees themselves were still making a profit. Cutting Ruth's pay was also part of Barrow and Ruppert's plan to phase Ruth out from the Yankees. With baseball's reserve clause firmly in place, Ruth, even with all his stature, had little negotiating power at this stage in his career. Ruth eventually settled to play for $52,000, although he was still the highest paid player in the game. Ruth was unhappy with the pay cut, but in these bad economic times, few people felt sorry for him.
Ruth remained productive in 1933, batting .301, with 34 home runs, 103 RBIs, and led the league in walks with 114. Although most major league players could only dream about these types of numbers, they were well below Ruth's previous standards. His batting average and slugging average were down over 40 points and nearly 100 points, respectively, from his career averages, and he was also slow in the field. It was clear age was eroding Ruth's skills. The Yankees did finish second to the Washington Senators, but they never seriously threatened to win the pennant. At least to Barrow and Ruppert, Ruth and the Yankees' season justified his pay cut, and the next year, Ruth took another big pay cut down to $25,000 a year.
One highlight for Ruth during the season was when he hit the very first home run in the very first All-Star game, held July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. His 2-run shot off Bill Hallahan helped the A.L. to a 4–2 win over the N.L., and he also made a fine defensive catch in the game.
After the season Ruth continued to press Barrow for a chance to manage the Yankees, but Barrow had no intentions of getting rid of manager Joe McCarthy. Ruth never liked the disciplinarian style of McCarthy, and had even stated he could do a better job managing the team. The Yankees never gave him the chance. The closest they came was offering him a chance to manage the Yankees farm team in Newark, New Jersey, an offer Ruth scoffed at with justification. Players such as Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and 26-year-old Joe Cronin had been given big league managerial jobs with no previous managing experience. At one point Frank Navin, owner of the Detroit Tigers, seemed serious about hiring Ruth to player-manage the Tigers. Ruth, however, put off a meeting with Navin to take a trip to Hawaii, and Navin, never a particularly congenial man, essentially retracted any meeting with Ruth. Cynical about Ruth's managerial ambitions, Barrow remarked, "How can he manage other men when he can't even manage himself?"
Ruth's play continued downward in 1934, and he finished the year with a .288 average and 22 home runs. It was understood during the season that it would be Ruth's last season in a Yankee uniform, and Ruth himself stated it might be the last year he played. He made the 1934 All-Star team, but certainly this was more an honorary selection than for his play on the field. During the game, he was the first of the five consecutive strikeout victims (with Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin) of Carl Hubbell, one of the most famous moments in All-Star game history. His last appearances around various cities were understood as his farewell tour, and although sportwriters were all but certain it was Ruth's last season as a Yankee, the Yankees fans were either not as informed or not as convinced. Only about 2,000 fans showed up in what would be Ruth's last game at Yankee Stadium.
After the 1934 season, Ruth went on a baseball barnstorming tour in the Far East. Players such as Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Gomez, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer, and Lou Gehrig were among 14 players who played a series of 22 games. Seventeen of the games were played in Japan, and the reception there was completely enthusiastic. Ruth was by far the most popular American player in Japan, and over a half a million Japanese greeted him on his arrival. Baseball had been big in Japan for decades, so many Japanese baseball fans were well aware of Ruth. Riding in a car in Tokyo, Ruth waved the American and Japanese flags, and a crowd of Japanese waved American flags back at him. The games were played in two different stadiums: Tokyo's Meiji-Jingu Stadium which held over 60,000 fans and Koshien Stadium near Kobe which held over 80,000. Both sites had been sold out for weeks, and Ruth would excite the huge crowds with 13 home runs in the 17 games. The tour in Japan was a complete success, and in just a couple of years, Japan organized its first professional baseball league, the Japan Professional Baseball Association.
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Return to Boston
In 1935, Boston Braves owner Emil Fuchs was looking to jumpstart the Braves franchise. A perennial cellar-dweller, the Braves had improved somewhat, but the Depression had killed off attendance and Fuchs was desperate to revive fan interest and revenue. Fuchs was very interested in Ruth and worked out a complex deal with Barrow and Ruppert to get Ruth in February, 1935. Fuchs promised Ruth a share in the team's profits, a managerial job as assistant to Braves manager Bill Mckechnie (with a good chance to succeed him next year), and Ruth could play whenever he wanted. All parties seemed happy with the deal, and with much media hoopla, Ruth returned to the city that gave him his major league start.
Ruth in a Boston Braves uniform in 1935, his last year as a player.
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Ruth in a Boston Braves uniform in 1935, his last year as a player.
On opening day before a home capacity crowd of over 25,000, Ruth was responsible for all the Braves' runs in a 4–2 win over Carl Hubbell and the New York Giants. It was just one game, but fan excitement for the Braves was as high as it had ever been. The euphoria quickly died away. Ruth completely stopped hitting, was clumsy in the field, and soon missed a dozen or so games. The Braves were as bad as they had ever been, and the few fans that showed up booed the team. Ruth was also miffed that Mckechnie ignored any of his managerial advice. Seeing a franchise in disarray, Ruth soon realized that Fuch's promise of a stake in the Braves' profits was a lot of hot air, as there would be few profits for a losing team that had little fan support.
On May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth gave one last glimpse of how great a player he was. He went 4-4, drove in 6 runs and hit 3 home runs in an 11-7 loss to the Pirates. The last home run was said to be the longest ball ever hit at Forbes Field. It was his 714th and last home run, and last hit. He hung on for another few days, and on May 30 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, played in his last major league game. He struck out in the first inning and, while playing the field in the same inning, hurt his knee and left the game. Ruth would never play another big league game.
Fuchs and Ruth's relationship soured badly. Fuchs blamed Ruth for the Braves' failures, and Ruth believed Fuchs had lied to him about the Braves franchise. On June 1, after having another argument with Fuchs, Ruth stated to reporters, "I'm quitting." The experiment with Fuchs, Ruth and the Braves was a complete failure for all parties. Fuchs, who was deeply in debt, saw revenue and attendance continue to fall, and soon lost ownership control of the team. Ruth played in only 28 games and batted a dismal .181 in 72 at-bats while striking out 24 times in his last season as a player. The season for the Braves was a complete disaster, as they finished 38–115, a .248 winning percentage, the third worst percentage in major league history.
[edit]
Retirement and later years
When Ruth retired in 1935, many of his major batting records seemed almost untouchable. He held the records for career bases on balls (2,062), bases on balls in a season (170), on-base percentage (.474, although a statistic not yet created during Ruth's era), career RBIs (2,213), career slugging average (.690), slugging average in a season (.847), home runs in a season (60), home run ratio (1 every 11.76 at bats), and career home runs (714). His career home run total at his retirement was twice that of the next nearest player, Lou Gehrig. It took many decades, but, except for his career slugging average, all of these major records have fallen, including the fabled 60 and 714 home run marks. Over the years, Ruth's image, and even his 60 and 714 numbers, grew into an almost sacred status among some fans, so much so that when Roger Maris and Hank Aaron both approached, and eventually surpassed both these records, respectively, both men were deluged with hate mail.
Although many of his batting records have been surpassed, a strong case can be made that Ruth still owns the greatest career batting numbers of any player in baseball history, and a major reason why Ruth's name grew into an almost legendary and iconic figure. Critics have noted, however, that Ruth only hit against white pitchers, as MLB was segregated until 1947.
In 1936, Ruth was one of the first five players elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ruth coaching first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938.
Enlarge
Ruth coaching first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938.
Retirement was often unsettling for Ruth. He had more than enough money, but he missed the game. He spent much time on the golf course, dabbled in a few other things, but his heart was set on managing a big league club. He would never be given the chance. The closest Ruth ever came to managing was when Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Larry MacPhail offered him a first base coaching job in June 1938. The Dodgers attendance was lagging, and MacPhail hired Ruth for the sole purpose of getting people to the ballpark. Ruth took the job, perhaps thinking he would have a chance to manage the Dodgers in the future, but MacPhail had clearly stated to Ruth that Leo Durocher was being groomed to take over the managerial reigns of the Dodgers for next season. Ruth never got along with Durocher, and he quit at the end of the season. The coaching position was the last time Ruth would have a job in major league baseball.
In 1939, all the years of fast living began to show signs of catching up with Ruth. During a round of golf with his playing partner Ben Curry, Ruth said to him, "I feel terrible." He was taken to the clubhouse where a doctor observed his condition. It was not diagnosed then, but Ruth had probably suffered a mild heart attack, and about a year later, he suffered another similar attack. By this time Ruth's weight had ballooned to over 270 pounds (122 kg).
In 1942, Ruth was asked to play a part (as himself, in his athletic prime) in the film The Pride of the Yankees, a film biography of Lou Gehrig, who had died from ALS in June 1941. Ruth needed to lose a great deal of weight to play the role, and with a vigorous workout schedule he had lost 40 pounds (18 kg). He did a respectable job of acting in a bit part, but the strict hours of filming did not suit his night life. He caught a bad cold (he had caught frequent colds his whole life), which developed into pneumonia. At one point, a report circulated that he was near death, but he recovered in a couple of weeks and finished the film part.
During World War II, Ruth did some charity work for the Red Cross, and bought over $100,000 in war bonds himself. He even organized a charity golf game with his old rival Ty Cobb (the two had despised each other in their playing days). Ruth appeared at many benefits during the war, and a few times donned his old baseball uniform. During one benefit at Yankee Stadium, he batted against the former great pitcher Walter Johnson, and another time, pinch hit in a game made up of teams from the armed forces. Later in 1943 in another charity game at Yankee Stadium, he pinch hit and drew a walk, but tore cartilage in his knee while running the bases. This would be the last time he would play in a formal game.
[edit]
Illness
After the war, Ruth continued to look for a chance to manage in the big leagues. While in the past he had essentially been blackballed by owners who, for various reasons, did not trust him, this time it was his health that would prevent the opportunity. In 1946, he began experiencing severe pain over his left eye. He was not concerned, thinking it was sinus problems, but this situation was much more grave than his health problems of the past. In November 1946, a visit to French Hospital in New York revealed Ruth had a malignant tumor in his neck that had encircled his left carotid artery, and physicians told him he would need surgery to have the cancerous growth removed. During the surgery, part of the nerves that led to the larynx had to be cut, and as a result his voice was reduced to a whisper. He would be unable to swallow foods and had to be fed with feeding tubes. Since physicians could not remove all the cancer, Ruth was given radiation therapy to treat the cancer that remained.
Released from the hospital in February 1947, Ruth was now 80 pounds (36 kg) lighter. Although he regained enough of his strength to play golf, hunt, and do other activities he had enjoyed, it was obvious to all who saw him that his health was not good. The tumor continued to grow, and he was in so much pain that he required morphine. He did manage to attend Babe Ruth Day, an appreciation of what Ruth had done for the game, held April 27, 1947 at Yankee Stadium. It was on this occasion where Ruth spoke in a disheartening croaking voice to a capacity crowd of more than 60,000. He made a speech which included the line, "The only real game I think in the world, is baseball."
In June 1947, Ruth was in so much pain physicians tried an experimental new drug on him, a drug that was a synthetic form of folate. The ongoing treatments seemingly improved Ruth so much that his case was cited at an International Cancer Congress held in St. Louis. He seemed to have recovered some of his health and, with renewed energy, started the Babe Ruth Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. Another Babe Ruth Day held at Yankee Stadium in September helped raise money for his newest charity.
Nat Fein's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of Ruth at Yankee Stadium, June 13, 1948.
Enlarge
Nat Fein's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of Ruth at Yankee Stadium, June 13, 1948.
Unfortunately, the apparent recovery was only a brief remission of the cancer. His health gradually declined, and he became sick and in as much pain as he had ever been. On June 13, 1948, a weak Ruth was barely able to attend the Yankees 25th anniversary celebration of the opening of Yankee Stadium. He met old teammates from the 1923 Yankee team and later stood for photographs. The highlight of the day was when his name was announced over the loudspeaker, and the crowd erupted into a loud roar. Ruth walked slowly to the microphone using a baseball bat as a cane, and his old Yankees uniform he wore appeared several sizes too large on his now frail body. Ruth spoke a few words at the microphone, saying how much he enjoyed seeing his old teammates and being a Yankee. After a 2-inning game played by the old players, Ruth left Yankee Stadium for the last time. Shortly before, he had a conversation with former teammate Joe Dugan. Ruth told Dugan, "Joe, I'm gone. I'm done Joe," a confession which had Ruth breaking down and crying, and Dugan crying with him.
There can be little doubt that the cause of Ruth's throat cancer was a lifelong habit of tobacco use. He began chewing tobacco at the age of seven, and in his teens began smoking cigarettes and cigars regularly, sometimes smoking up to a dozen cigars a day. He also used snuff in such large amounts that the dust would clog his nasal passages. Ruth's lifelong problems with colds and other respiratory problems can also likely be tied to this habit. Medical evidence of a link between smoking and cancer seemed conclusive by the 1920's (evidence even goes back to the 18th century) [2] [3] but for various reasons, the public was largely unaware of the risks of smoking until decades later. Even if this information had been common knowledge during Ruth's lifetime, it is not likely that this would have changed the behavior of his or most other ballplayers of the time, as the baseball culture of tobacco use had been ingrained since baseball's beginnings [4] and continues to the present day (although tobacco use among current baseball players has significantly decreased). [5]
[edit]
Death
A cancer-ravaged Ruth (right) in 1948, visited by New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer.
Enlarge
A cancer-ravaged Ruth (right) in 1948, visited by New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer.
Shortly after he had attended the Yankee Stadium anniversary event, Ruth was again back in the hospital. By now he knew it was cancer even if no one had told him, which apparently no one ever had since his condition was first diagnosed in 1946. He received hundreds of well-wishing letters and messages daily (including a phone call from President Harry Truman) many requesting autographs and photos, and with his wife Claire's help, he made sure he answered every one.
Ruth was still able to walk and get out even near his end, and on July 26, 1948, he attended the premiere of the film about his life, The Babe Ruth Story, which starred William Bendix as Ruth. Ironically, Bendix knew Ruth in the early 1920's when he worked as a bat boy for the New York Giants and Yankees at the Polo Grounds, the then Yankees home. Feeling very ill while watching the film, Ruth left well before the film was finished, and although he was said to have stated he liked the film, by a large consensus the film was considered poorly made.
Ruth returned to the hospital, and this time he would never leave. The cancer had eaten away at his body (cachexia) leaving him with an emaciated appearance, and he was barely able to speak. Ruth's condition gradually became worse, and in his last days, scores of reporters and photographers hovered around the hospital, almost anticipating the end. Only a few visitors were allowed to see him, one of whom was the then National League President and future Commissioner of Baseball, Ford Frick. Frick had been a good friend of Ruth's since Ruth's early days as a Yankee and the ghostwriter for various articles supposedly written by Ruth. Frick was shocked and saddened by Ruth’s condition. “Ruth was so thin it was unbelievable. He had been such a big man and his arms were just skinny little bones, and his face was so haggard,” Frick said years later.
Babe Ruth's headstone in Gate of Heaven Cemetery
Enlarge
Babe Ruth's headstone in Gate of Heaven Cemetery
On August 16, the day after Frick's visit, Babe Ruth died at 8:01 p.m. at the age of 53. His body lay in repose in Yankee Stadium for two days; more than 200,000 people filed past the casket. Three days later 9,500 mourners crammed into the area around St. Patrick's Cathedral for his funeral. Tens of thousands more lined the streets as his funeral cortege drove by. The outpouring of grief from so many thousands of Americans was in marked contrast to the few dozen people who would later attend the services for his great rival Ty Cobb in 1961. Ruth was buried in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York, about 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City. The following epitaph by Cardinal Spellman appears on Babe Ruth's headstone: "May The Divine Spirit That Animated Babe Ruth To Win The Crucial Game Of Life Inspire The Youth Of America!" His wife Claire was buried next to him upon her death in 1976. Babe Ruth and Billy Martin are buried about 150 feet apart in the same section of the cemetery. Lou Gehrig, Ed Barrow, and Harry Frazee are interred in Kensico Cemetery, which is located next door to Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
Ruth's birthplace has been preserved as a combination Babe Ruth and Baltimore Orioles museum, and is just a short walk from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
[edit]
Statistics
Career Statistics
Hitting G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS
2,503 8,399 2,873 506 136 714 2,174 2,213 2,062 1,330 .342 .469 .690 1.159
Pitching W L WP GP GS CG Sh SV IP BB SO ERA WHIP
94 46 .671 163 148 107 17 4 1,221.1 441 488 2.28 1.16
[edit]
Trivia
* For the first 40 years of his life, Ruth believed his birthday to have been February 7, 1894. Most contemporary accounts, therefore, will contain inaccurate accounts of Ruth's age. Ruth continued to use the 1894 date when asked his age, because he was used to it.
* The statue of Babe Ruth at the Eutaw Street entrance of Camden Yards has him holding a catcher's mitt for a right handed player. Despite popular belief, this is not a mistake. The statue portrays Ruth during his days at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. In his autobiography Ruth states that lefty gloves were not available.
* Ruth threw and batted left-handed, and was also a left-handed golfer and bowler, but wrote right-handed.
* Ruth was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
* Ruth spoke German fluently, having learned from his parents, who were the children of German immigrants.
* On June 23, 1917, Ruth was involved in one of the most unusual games in baseball history. Ruth, the starting pitcher against the Washington Senators, walked the first batter Ray Morgan. Arguing over the strike zone, Ruth was ejected by umpire Brick Owens. Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore relieved Ruth. On Shore's first pitch, Morgan was thrown out stealing second. Shore went on to retire the next 26 batters for a perfect no-hit, no-run game. Although record books give Shore credit for a perfect game, some have an asterisk by it and say it should not be counted as perfect game since a batter reached first base, even though not through Shore.
* In 1918, Babe's father George, Sr., was killed when intervening in a dispute at his tavern. Angry at all the noise some people were making, George, Sr., got into a fight outside his tavern with one of the family members. During the scuffle, he fell and suffered a fatal head injury.
* In her book My Dad, The Babe, his adopted daughter Dorothy Ruth Pirone claimed she was his biological child, the product of an affair between Ruth and a longtime family friend.
* Ruth played himself in a cameo appearance in the Harold Lloyd film Speedy (1928).
* In 1929, the Yankees became the first team to regularly use uniform numbers (the Cleveland Indians used them briefly in 1916). Since Ruth batted third in the order, he was assigned number 3. Eventually, uniform numbers were associated with players without regard to the batting order. The Yankees retired Ruth's number on June 13, 1948. The first number the Yankees had retired was Lou Gehrig's number.
* Ruth's wife Claire was a cousin of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize.
* Some speculate as to how Ruth's home run total would be different if he played under current rules. For example, in 1918 Ruth had a game-ending hit over the fence that was only scored as a triple because rules in effect until 1920 stated that in that situation, only the minimum hit needed to score the winning run would be credited, and there was a runner on first. Today that hit would be scored as a home run. Also during Ruth's era, if a ball went over the fence in fair territory and landed in foul territory it counted as a foul ball whereas today it would be a home run. On the other hand, until 1931, a ball that hit the playing surface in fair territory and bounced over the fence was credited as a home run, whereas today such a hit would be scored as a ground-rule double.
* It is a myth the Yankees wore pinstripes because owner Jacob Ruppert wanted to minimize Ruth's girth. The Yankees, then the Highlanders, began wearing pinstripes in 1912. They discontinued them for two years, but they brought back the pinstripes in 1915 and have worn them since.
* During World War II, American GI's on Guadalcanal reported that Japanese soldiers would shout at them "To hell with Babe Ruth!"
* The Yankees dedicated a monument to Ruth on April 19, 1949. It calls him "A great ball player, a great man, a great American." It now rests in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.
* In the early 1990s, biographical films were released about Ruth in consecutive years:
Babe Ruth was a 1991 made-for-TV movie, starring Stephen Lang. It featured Pete Rose as Ty Cobb. It also won an Emmy for costuming. Donald Moffat played Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert, and would later play Baseball Commissioner and Ruth confidant Ford Frick in the 2001 film 61*.
The Babe was a 1992 theatrical film, starring John Goodman, which garnered rather more publicity in part due to the fact he was starring in Roseanne, a popular television sitcom at the time. Goodman, 39 years old at the time of filming, played Ruth between the ages of 19 and 40.
* Ruth's 1919 contract that sent him from Boston to New York was auctioned off for $996,000 at Sotheby's on June 10, 2005. Most of the money went to an organization that fights world hunger. However, the most valuable memorabilia relating to Ruth was his 1923 bat which he used to hit the first home run at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923. Ruth's heavy Louisville Slugger solid ash wood bat sold for $1.26 million at a Southeby's auction in December of 2004. The sold price was just below the mark of the famous 1909 baseball card of Honus Wagner, which last sold for $1.265 million and is currently the most valuable baseball memorabilia item.
* During an exhibition game on April 2, 1931, Ruth and Lou Gehrig were both struck out by a 17-year-old female pitcher, Jackie Mitchell, while playing the Chattanooga Lookouts in Engel Stadium. According to behind the plate Umpire J.B. Vick, and after striking out, Ruth said "that dame threw me a pitch I've never seen". When asked to describe the pitch, Mitchell called it her "palm ball" a pitch more commonly known today as the Knuckle Ball.
* It is reported that during Ruth's funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral on a hot afternoon in August 1948, former teammate Joe Dugan commented, “I'd give a hundred dollars for a cold beer right now.” Waite Hoyt responded, “So would the Babe.”
[edit]
See also
* 500 home run club; 50 home run club
* All-Time leaders in Homeruns for a Pitcher
* Curse of the Bambino
* Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
* Babe Ruth has been featured in several video games including Baseball Stars (1988)
* Baby Ruth (candy bar)
[edit]
References
* Allen, Maury. Baseball's 100. A & W Publishers, 1981, 316 pages.
* The Baseball Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated, 2000, 1298 pages.
* The Baseball Encyclopedia, 10th Edition. Macmillan, a Simon and Schuster Macmillan Company, 1996, 3027 pages.
* Cohen, Richard M, David Neft and Jordan Deutsch. The World Series. The Dial Press, 1979, 416 pages.
* Creamer, Robert W. Babe: The Legend Comes to Life. Simon and Schuster, 1974, 440 pages.
* Graham Jr., Frank. Great Hitters of the Major Leagues. Random House, 1969, 171 pages.
* James, Bill. The New Bill James Baseball Abstract. The Free Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, 2001, 998 pages.
* Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen, editors. The Encyclopedia of World Sport. Oxford University Press, 1996, 488 pages.
* Montville, Leigh. The Big Bam. Doubleday, 2006.
* Pietrusza, David, Matthew Silverman & Michael Gershman, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated.
* Reidenbach, Lowell. Cooperstown: Where the Legends Live Forever. The Sporting News Publishing, 1993, 344 pages.
* Ritter, Lawrence, and Mark Rucker. The Babe: A Life in Pictures. Ticknor and Fields, 1988, 282 pages.
* Ritter, Lawrence. The Glory of Their Times. The Macmillan Company, 1966, 300 pages.
* Schlossberg, Dan. The Baseball Catalog. Jonathan David Publishers, 1980, 310 pages.
* The STATS All-Time Major League Baseball Handbook. STATS Publishing, 1998, 2696 pages.
* Stout, Glenn. Yankees Century. Houghton Mifflin, 2002, 478 pages.
[edit]
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Babe Ruth
* BabeRuth.com - Official site
* MLB.com Babe Ruth Career Statistics
* Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
* National Baseball Hall of Fame
* Babe Ruth Quotes
* Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
* Lovable Ruth was everyone's Babe - article by Larry Schwartz on ESPN.com
* Babe Ruth rated among the Top 10 Leftie Homerun Hitters
* The Deadball Era
Preceded by:
Roger Connor Career home run record holders
1921-1973 Succeeded by:
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1923 Succeeded by:
Walter Johnson
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1924 Succeeded by:
Harry Heilmann
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Hank Aaron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron
Personal Info
Birth February 5, 1934, Mobile, Alabama
Professional Career
Debut April 13, 1954, Milwaukee Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds, Crosley Field
Team(s) As Player
Milwaukee Braves (1954 – 1965)
Atlanta Braves (1966 – 1974)
Milwaukee Brewers (1975 – 1976)
HOF induction: August 1, 1982
Career Highlights
* Most career home runs (755)
* Most career RBI (2,297)
* Most career extra base hits (1,477)
* Most career total bases (6,856)
* Second in career runs (2,174)
* Second in at-bats (12,364)
* Third in career hits (3,771)
* Only player to hit at least 30 home runs in 15 seasons
* Only player to hit at least 20 home runs in 20 seasons
* Hit 40 home runs in a season 8 times
* First player to reach 3,000 hits and 500 home runs
* 21 All-Star appearances
* The NL MVP Award (1957)
* One World Series ring (1957)
* Three Gold Gloves (1958 – 1960)
* Led NL in home runs 4 times
* Led NL in RBI 4 times
* Led NL in batting 2 times
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5, 1934) is a retired American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Aaron is best known for setting the Major League record for most home runs in a career (755), surpassing the previous mark of 714 held by Babe Ruth. Aaron also holds the career marks for runs batted in (2,297), extra base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856). He won one World Series ring with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, and the National League Most Valuable Player Award the same year. He also earned three Gold Glove Awards and made 24 All-Star appearances.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Pre-professional career
* 2 Professional career
o 2.1 Minor leagues
o 2.2 Major leagues
+ 2.2.1 The early years
+ 2.2.2 Prime of career
+ 2.2.3 The chase is on
+ 2.2.4 Racism and the record
* 3 Post-playing career
* 4 Records and achievements
* 5 Statistics
* 6 League leadership rankings
* 7 Trivia
* 8 References
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
[edit]
Pre-professional career
Aaron was born in a part of Mobile, Alabama called Down The Bay. At the time it was a poor area of town populated mostly by minorities. His family later moved to a better part of Mobile called Toulminville, where he was brought up and attended school. In Central High School, Aaron played shortstop and third base and was an outstanding hitter though he batted cross-handed. His team won the ***** High School Championship two years running. In high school, he also excelled in football.[1] [2]
Aaron's last two years of high school were spent at the Josephine Allen Institute, a private high school in Alabama. Aaron was so proficient a ballplayer at this young age that before his fifteenth birthday he was playing on a semi-pro team, the Pritchett Athletics, as their shortstop and third baseman. After being seen by scout agent Ed Scott, he then started playing with the semi-pro Mobile Black Bears for $3 a game restricted to play only in the home-town games for his mother would not allow him to travel.[1][3][2]
His mother wanted Aaron to attend college in Florida. But with the promise to finish high school, on November 20, 1951 he was signed by scout Bunny Downs to play for the ***** American League champion Indianapolis Clowns, earning $200 a month, after the Black Bears played an exhibition against the Clowns the previous year. Aaron helped lead the Clowns to victory in the 1952 ***** League World Series. He tried out for the Dodgers but did not get to show his abilities to the scouts there adding to the fact that he batted cross-handed.[3][2]
[edit]
Professional career
[edit]
Minor leagues
On June 14, 1952 Aaron's contract was acquired by the Boston Braves for $10,000. He was the last ***** League player to make the jump to the major leagues. Aaron was assigned to the Braves' Class C farm club, the Eau Claire Bears, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where he played second base. He got two line drive singles in his first game. He won the Northern League's Rookie of the Year,and he earned $350 a month. In 1953, Aaron, along with Horace Garner and Felix Mantilla, was sent to the Jacksonville Tars to break the color line in the Class A South Atlantic League. Despite enduring non-stop racial epithets and threats, Aaron led the league in runs (115), hits (208), doubles (36), RBI (115), and batting average (.362) to become the league's Most Valuable Player. One writer said, "Henry Aaron led the league in everything except hotel accommodations".[2]
In Jacksonville, however, Aaron was supported by his manager, Ben Geraghty, who battled, unsuccessfully, with local restaurateurs and hoteliers to gain equal access and treatment for his minority players. Wrote former Braves farmhand Pat Jordan, "Aaron gave [Geraghty] much of the credit for his own swift rise to stardom." [4]
To prepare for the big leagues, Aaron played winter ball in Puerto Rico and learned to play the outfield. On March 13, 1954, Braves left fielder Bobby Thomson broke his ankle sliding into second base during a spring training game. The next day Aaron made his first spring training start for the Braves in left field and hit a home run.[2]
[edit]
Major leagues
[edit]
The early years
Hank Aaron team portrait
Hank Aaron team portrait
On April 13, 1954, Aaron made his major league debut and went 0-for-5 against the Cincinnati Reds' Joe Nuxhall.[2] In the same game, Aaron's teammate, Eddie Mathews hit two home runs, the first two of a record 863 home runs the pair would hit as teammates. On April 15, 1954 Aaron got his first major league hit, a single off Cardinals pitcher Vic Raschi. Aaron hit his first Major League home run on April 23, 1954 off Raschi. Over the next 122 games, Aaron batted .280 (he would not hit that low again until 1966) with 13 homers (he wouldn't go below 20 for the next 20 years) before suffering a broken ankle on September 5.
In the following season, Aaron was moved to right field, where he played for most of his career, winning three Gold Gloves. 1955 also saw the first of a record-tying 24 All-Star Games for Aaron — only Willie Mays and Stan Musial appeared in as many All-Star Games. On June 24, 1955, Aaron became the first strike out victim of the Brooklyn Dodgers' future Hall of Famer, Sandy Koufax. Koufax came on in relief for the Dodgers on Milwaukee's County Stadium, pitching two shutout innings and fanning two. Aaron finished the season batting .314 with 27 home runs and 106 RBI.
1956 saw Aaron hit .328 to win the first of two NL batting titles. He was also named The Sporting News NL Player of the Year. Two changes were made in 1957 that had a profound effect on Aaron. First, he went from second in the batting order to fourth, behind Eddie Mathews instead of in front of him, and, second, he switched from a 36-ounce bat to a 34-ounce model. Due to these changes, Aaron was able to respond by leading the league with 44 home runs, a career-high 132 RBI, batted .322 and won his only NL MVP Award. During a game on August 15th, Aaron belted his 100th major league home run off of the Reds' Don Gross. On September 23, 1957, Aaron had what he called the best moment of his career. Aaron drilled a pitch from the Cardinals' Billy Muffett for a two-run homer in the 11th inning of a game. It clinched the Braves' first pennant in Milwaukee and Aaron was carried off the field by his teammates. That year, Milwaukee registered its only World Series victory behind right-handed pitcher Lew Burdette, who defeated the Yankees three times. Aaron did his part by hitting .393 with three homers and seven RBI.
[edit]
Prime of career
Aaron had another spectacular year in 1958 by hitting .326, with 30 home runs and 95 RBI. He led the Braves to another pennant, but this time they lost a seven-game Series to the Yankees. Aaron picked up his first Gold Glove and finished 3rd in MVP voting. Hall of Famer Don Drysdale served up the first of seventeen home runs to Aaron on June 29, 1958 — more than any other pitcher.
On June 21, 1959 Aaron had his single most productive day as a hitter. Against the San Francisco Giants, he hit two-run home runs in the 1st, 6th and 7th innings off Johnny Antonelli, Stu Miller and Gordon Jones. It was the only time in his career that he hit three homers in a game. Exactly one month later, on July 21, Aaron appeared on the television show Home Run Derby, and had a record-setting stint on the show. He earned a record $13,000 during his time on the show, which included a most-ever 6 consecutive wins before he was defeated by Wally Post. The prize money encouraged Aaron to change his approach in hitting and swing for more homers. Aaron defended his decision by saying, "I noticed that they never had a show called 'Singles Derby'." Eddie Mathews led the league in home runs with 46 and Aaron led the league in hitting with a .355 average and finished 3rd in MVP voting.
July 3, 1960 saw Aaron hit his 200th home run off of the Cardinals' Ron Kline at Sportsman's Park. On June 8, 1961, Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas became the first four players ever to hit successive home runs in a game. Aaron and Mathews went back to back off of Reds' pitcher Jim Maloney. Adcock and Thomas hit theirs off of reliever Marshall Bridges. Despite the unprecedented feat, the Braves lost the game 10-8.
On June 18, 1962, Aaron hit what most consider to be the longest home run of his career — a 470-foot shot to straight-away center at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Only two other players ever hit a ball there — Joe Adcock in 1953 and Lou Brock, who oddly did it the day before Aaron. On April 19, 1963 he hit his 300th home run off of the Mets' Jay Hook. Aaron just missed winning the triple crown in 1963 by leading the league with 44 home runs and 130 RBI. He finished .007 behind Tommy Davis in batting. Aaron became the third member of the 30-30 club, after Ken Williams and Willie Mays. He again finished third in the MVP voting.
On September 20, 1965, Aaron hit the last home run by a Milwaukee Braves player at Milwaukee County Stadium. It came off Ray Culp of the Phillies. The Braves moved to Atlanta the following season and made Fulton County Stadium their new home. Aaron's home run output increased due to the hitter friendly park — later nicknamed "The Launching Pad".
Aaron hit his 400th home run on April 20, 1966 off Bob Priddy of the San Francisco Giants. On August 23 he homered to set a major league record with Eddie Mathews for most career home runs by teammates (863). The first two batters faced by Nolan Ryan in his career were Mathews and Aaron, on September 11, 1966. Neither of them struck out against Ryan.
In the first game of a double header against the Phillies on May 10, 1967, Aaron hit his only inside-the-park home run off Jim Bunning. Aaron hit a conventional home run in the second game of the double header off of Larry Jackson.
Aaron hit his 500th home run on July 14, 1968 off Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants at Fulton County Stadium. Aaron was just the eighth player to reach the milestone and he did it exactly one year after his former teammate Eddie Mathews did it with the Houston Astros. At the time, Aaron was the second youngest player to ever do so at 34 years, five months and nine days, a year and a half older than the youngest player to do so, Jimmie Foxx.
[edit]
The chase is on
On July 30, 1969 Aaron hit his 537th home run to move into third place on the career home run list, past Mickey Mantle and behind only Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Aaron was now in the most productive home run hitting stretch of his career, and it became apparent that he would have a legitimate chance of overtaking Ruth, moreso than Mays who was more rapidly approaching the end of his career.
The Braves marked the first year of division play by winning the West. The Braves were fifth place on August 19, but outplayed the Giants and Reds down the stretch to win the division. Aaron slugged 44 homers and knocked in 97 runs. The Braves lost to the Miracle Mets in the playoffs, three games to none. Aaron and brother Tommie were the first siblings to appear in a League Championship series together as teammates. Hank Aaron finished 3rd in MVP voting.
Aaron got his 3,000th career hit off of the Reds' Wayne Simpson on May 17, 1970 with a single in the second game of a doubleheader at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, becoming the first player to reach that milestone and hit 500 career home runs. On July 31, he hit a home run against Dave Guisti of the Pirates in Atlanta for this 30th homer of the season, establishing a National League record for most seasons with 30 or more homers (12).
1971 saw several milestones for Aaron. On April 27 he hit his 600th career homer off the San Francisco Giants' Gaylord Perry in Atlanta. The greatest home run hitter slugged two homers off the great strikeout pitcher, Nolan Ryan, the first of which was on May 21, 1971, in Shea Stadium. On July 31 Aaron homered in an All-Star Game for the first time, connecting off Vida Blue in Detroit. He hit his 40th home run of the season against the Giants' Jerry Johnson on August 10, establishing a National League record for most seasons with 40 or more home runs (seven). On September 21, Aaron homered against the Padres' Jay Franklin for his 46th home run of the season — a new career high. Five days later, he hit his 47th home run, the most he hit in a season. He finished third in MVP voting for the 6th time in his career.
During the strike shortened season of 1972, Aaron tied and then surpassed Willie Mays for second place on the career home run list with home runs on May 31 (648) off of the Padres' Fred Norman and June 10 (649) off of the Phillies' Wayne Twitchell. His home run on June 10 was also his 14th grand slam, tying him with Willie McCovey and Gil Hodges for the National League record. On June 28 Aaron hit a two-run homer to tie Lou Gehrig for second place on the all-time RBI list with 1,990. The next day he passed Gehrig with a home run off of the Padres' Mike Caldwell to move into sole possession of second place on the all-time RBI list. Aaron got his 2,000 career RBI when he homered off Astros' Jim York. Aaron tied and then surpassed Babe Ruth for the most home runs by a player with a single team when he homered for the 659th time as a Brave on July 19 against the Pirates' Nelson Briles, and for the 660th on July 25 against the Reds' Wayne Simpson. At the first All-Star Game in Atlanta, Aaron thrilled the hometown crowd by homering in the sixth inning off the Cleveland Indians' Gaylord Perry. Aaron homered twice against the Phillies to break Stan Musial's major league record for total bases (6,134).
[edit]
Racism and the record
Hank Aaron's jersey worn when he broke Babe Ruth's record
Enlarge
Hank Aaron's jersey worn when he broke Babe Ruth's record
The chase to beat the Babe heated up in the summer of 1973 and with it the mail. Aaron needed a secretary to sort it as he received more than an estimated 3,000 letters a day, more than any American outside of politics. Unfortunately, racists initially did much of the writing. A sampling:
"Dear ****** Henry,
You are (not) going to break this record established by the great Babe Ruth if I can help it. ...
Whites are far more superior than jungle bunnies. My gun is watching your every black move."
"Dear Henry Aaron,
How about some sickle cell anemia, Hank?"
The letters came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities. They were filled with hate; more hate than Aaron had ever imagined. "This," Aaron said later about the letters, "changed me."
Aaron hit his 700th home run off of the Phillies' Ken Brett. The 1973 season ended with Aaron at 713 homers after hitting a remarkable 40 in just 392 at-bats. He was 39. The Braves became the first team to have three players hit 40 or more homers in a season. Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson also reached the 40-homer mark.
Over the winter, Aaron endured death threats and a large assortment of racist hate mail from people who did not want to see a black man break Ruth's home run record. Lewis Grizzard, then sports editor the Atlanta Journal became so concerned that he had an obituary written just in case. However, when the harassment became widely known, the ballplayer enjoyed a massive flood of public support motivated at least partially to counter the bigotry. This included Babe Ruth's widow who denounced the racists and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record.
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the home run record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three game series. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta. Therefore, they were going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two out of three. He tied Babe Ruth's record in his very first at bat, but did not hit another home run in the series. The largest crowd in Braves history (53,775) watched Hank Aaron break the record on April 8, 1974 with a home run in the 4th inning off Los Angeles pitcher Al Downing.[1] The ball landed in the Braves bullpen where reliever Tom House caught it. While cannons were firing in celebration and Aaron rounded the bases, two college students appeared and ran alongside, congratulating him before security stepped in. Aaron's mother ran onto the field and into the arms of her son, tears brimming in her eyes. Mrs. Aaron wasn't just proud of her son; she rushed the plate because she thought her son had been shot. On October 2, 1974, Aaron hit his 733rd and final home run as a Brave.
One month later, on November 2, 1974, the Braves traded Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers for Roger Alexander and Dave May. Because the Brewers were an American League team, Aaron could extend his career by taking advantage of the designated hitter rule.
As a popular member of the long-missed Milwaukee Braves club, Aaron brought credibility to the new Brewers franchise.
Aaron broke baseball's all time RBI record on May 1, 1975 and on July 20, 1976 Hank Aaron hit his 755th and final home run off the California Angels' Dick Drago at Milwaukee County Stadium.
[edit]
Post-playing career
Baseball Hall of Fame
Hank Aaron
is a member of
the Baseball
Hall of Fame
Hank Aaron's Plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame
Enlarge
Hank Aaron's Plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame
Aaron rejoined the Atlanta Braves organization as player development director four days after retiring from baseball. On August 1, 1982 Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving votes on 97.8 percent of the ballots. At the time, only Ty Cobb received a higher percentage (98.2) of votes cast.
Aaron became one of the first blacks in Major League Baseball upper-level management as Atlanta's vice president of player development. Since December 1989, he has served as senior vice president and assistant to the president, but he is more active for Turner Broadcasting as a corporate vice president of community relations and a member of TBS's board of directors. He also is vice president of business development for The Airport Network.
Henry Aaron is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Inc.
On February 5, 1999, at a celebration for his 65th birthday, Aaron was honored for his achievements as a player and a person. Major League Baseball announced the introduction of the Hank Aaron Award, to be presented annually to the best hitters in the American League and National League. The first major award to be introduced in more than thirty years, it is also the first to be named after a former player still living at the time the award was inaugurated. Later that year, he ranked number 5 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
In 2002 Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
Aaron attended Game 4 of the 2004 World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and personally awarded the Hank Aaron Award to the winners — Barry Bonds in the NL, Manny Ramirez in the AL.
His autobiography I Had a Hammer was published in 1990. Aaron now owns Hank Aaron BMW of south Atlanta where every car is sold with an autographed baseball. The book's title is a play on his nickname, "The Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", itself a play on comparing his power hitting with the legendary steel-driving hammer of John Henry; and on the title of the folk song, If I Had a Hammer.
Statues of Aaron now stand outside the front entrance of both Turner Field and Miller Park, where the Braves and Brewers currently play. (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Milwaukee County Stadium, which were Aaron's home parks for his entire career, were demolished in 1997 and 2001, respectively. A parking lot occupies the site where Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium used to stand and a youth baseball field (named Helfaer Field) occupies the site where Milwaukee County Stadium used to stand (next to Miller Park)).
Turner Field's home address is 755 Hank Aaron Drive SE, in honor of Aaron's 755 career home runs.
Aaron's jersey number "44" has been retired by both the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers.
The fact so few Americans consider Aaron the greatest player of all time despite his coming closer than any other player to the near equivalent of an all-time triple crown (1st in all-time homers, 1st in all-time RBI's, 3rd in all-time hits) is attributed by some to his personal humility, the east coast bias of the baseball press which influences fan opinion, and simple racism. Others attribute this to his winning only one MVP, his team's winning only one World Series, and his leading in home runs, RBI's, and hits in few seasons.
[edit]
Records and achievements
* All-time home run leader: 755
* All-time games played: 3,298 (at time of retirement, currently 3rd behind Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski)
* All-time at-bats leader: 12,364 (at time of retirement, currently 2nd behind Pete Rose)
* All-time RBI leader: 2,297
* All-time total bases leader: 6,856
* All-time extra-base hits leader: 1,477
* NL MVP: 1957
* Gold Glove award: 1958 – 1960
* The Sporting News NL Player of the Year: 1956, 1963
* NL batting champion: 1956 (.328), 1959 (.355)
* NL home run champion: 1957 (44), 1963 (44), 1966 (44), 1967 (39)
* NL RBI leader: 1957 (132), 1960 (126), 1963 (130), 1966 (127)
* NL total bases leader: 1956 (340), 1957 (369), 1959 (400), 1960 (334), 1961 (358), 1963 (370), 1967 (344), 1969 (332)
* NL slugging percentage leader: 1959 (.636), 1963 (.586), 1971 (.669)
* NL runs scored leader: 1957 (118); 1963 (121); 1967(113)
* Lou Gehrig Memorial Award: 1970
* NL hits leader: 1956 (200), 1959 (223)
* NL doubles leader: 1955 (37), 1956 (34), 1961 (39), 1965 (40)
* Three home runs in one game: June 21, 1959
* Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame: 1982
* Third in career hits (3,771)
* Only player to hit at least 30 home runs in 15 seasons
* Only player to hit at least 20 home runs in 20 seasons
* Hit 40 home runs in a season 8 times
* First player to reach 3,000 hits and 500 home runs
* 24 All-Star appearances
* Player of the Month for June 1967 and co-Player of the Month for May 1959.
[edit]
Statistics
YEAR TEAM AGE G AB R H 2B 3B HR HR% RBI BB SO SB CS AVG SLG OBA OPS RC RCAA RCAP OWP RC/G TB EBH ISO SEC BPA IBB HBP SAC SF GIDP OUTS PA POS
1954 Braves 20 122 468 58 131 27 6 13 2.78 69 28 39 2 2 0.280 0.447 0.322 0.769 63 2 -3 0.512 4.70 209 46 0.167 0.226 0.451 0 3 6 4 13 362 509 LF
1955 Braves 21 153 602 105 189 37 9 27 4.49 106 49 61 3 1 0.314 0.540 0.366 0.906 113 39 37 0.679 6.86 325 73 0.226 0.311 0.546 5 3 7 4 20 445 665 RF
1956 Braves 22 153 609 106 200 34 14 26 4.27 92 37 54 2 4 0.328 0.558 0.365 0.923 115 39 34 0.679 6.96 340 74 0.230 0.287 0.544 6 2 5 7 21 446 660 RF
1957 Braves 23 151 615 118 198 27 6 44 7.15 132 57 58 1 1 0.322 0.600 0.378 0.978 135 66 64 0.772 8.40 369 77 0.278 0.371 0.612 15 0 0 3 13 434 675 RF
1958 Braves 24 153 601 109 196 34 4 30 4.99 95 59 49 4 1 0.326 0.546 0.386 0.931 120 54 49 0.745 7.53 328 68 0.220 0.323 0.557 16 1 0 3 21 430 664 RF
1959 Braves 25 154 629 116 223 46 7 39 6.20 123 51 54 8 0 0.355 0.636 0.401 1.037 156 82 71 0.794 9.71 400 92 0.281 0.375 0.641 17 4 0 9 19 434 693 RF
1960 Braves 26 153 590 102 172 20 11 40 6.78 126 60 63 16 7 0.292 0.566 0.352 0.919 119 51 49 0.732 7.22 334 71 0.275 0.392 0.598 13 2 0 12 8 445 664 RF
1961 Braves 27 155 603 115 197 39 10 34 5.64 120 56 64 21 9 0.327 0.594 0.381 0.974 131 59 35 0.746 8.02 358 83 0.267 0.380 0.615 20 2 1 9 16 441 671 RF
1962 Braves 28 156 592 127 191 28 6 45 7.60 128 66 73 15 7 0.323 0.618 0.390 1.008 139 64 54 0.752 8.77 366 79 0.296 0.421 0.643 14 3 0 6 14 428 667 CF
1963 Braves 29 161 631 121 201 29 4 44 6.97 130 78 94 31 5 0.319 0.586 0.391 0.977 149 79 61 0.798 8.92 370 77 0.268 0.433 0.648 18 0 0 5 11 451 714 RF
1964 Braves 30 145 570 103 187 30 2 24 4.21 95 62 46 22 4 0.328 0.514 0.393 0.907 112 47 36 0.727 7.36 293 56 0.186 0.326 0.554 9 0 0 2 22 411 634 RF
1965 Braves 31 150 570 109 181 40 1 32 5.61 89 60 81 24 4 0.318 0.560 0.379 0.938 121 51 37 0.729 7.85 319 73 0.242 0.382 0.603 10 1 0 8 15 416 639 RF
1966 Braves 32 158 603 117 168 23 1 44 7.30 127 76 96 21 3 0.279 0.539 0.356 0.895 117 42 32 0.689 6.87 325 68 0.260 0.416 0.590 15 1 0 8 14 460 688 RF
1967 Braves 33 155 600 113 184 37 3 39 6.50 109 63 97 17 6 0.307 0.573 0.369 0.943 126 55 41 0.735 7.75 344 79 0.267 0.390 0.608 19 0 0 6 11 439 669 RF
1968 Braves 34 160 606 84 174 33 4 29 4.79 86 64 62 28 5 0.287 0.498 0.354 0.852 104 45 40 0.736 6.06 302 66 0.211 0.355 0.546 23 1 0 5 21 463 676 RF
1969 Braves 35 147 547 100 164 30 3 44 8.04 97 87 47 9 10 0.300 0.607 0.396 1.003 127 58 41 0.750 8.36 332 77 0.307 0.464 0.635 19 2 0 3 14 410 639 RF
1970 Braves 36 150 516 103 154 26 1 38 7.36 118 74 63 9 0 0.298 0.574 0.385 0.958 115 42 32 0.693 8.15 296 65 0.275 0.436 0.615 15 2 0 6 13 381 598 RF
1971 Braves 37 139 495 95 162 22 3 47 9.49 118 71 58 1 1 0.327 0.669 0.410 1.079 135 73 60 0.804 1.47 331 72 0.341 0.485 0.689 21 2 0 5 9 348 573 1B
1972 Braves 38 129 449 75 119 10 0 34 7.57 77 92 55 4 0 0.265 0.514 0.390 0.904 90 30 20 0.675 6.96 231 44 0.249 0.463 0.572 15 1 0 2 17 349 544 1B
1973 Braves 39 120 392 84 118 12 1 40 1.20 96 68 51 1 1 0.301 0.643 0.402 1.045 103 47 36 0.751 9.72 252 53 0.342 0.515 0.675 13 1 0 4 7 286 465 LF
1974 Braves 40 112 340 47 91 16 0 20 5.88 69 39 29 1 0 0.268 0.491 0.341 0.832 57 14 8 0.616 5.97 167 36 0.224 0.341 0.528 6 0 1 2 6 258 382 LF
1975 Brewers 41 137 465 45 109 16 2 12 2.58 60 70 51 0 1 0.234 0.355 0.332 0.687 55 -6 -8 0.450 3.92 165 30 0.120 0.269 0.406 3 1 1 6 15 379 543 DH
1976 Brewers 42 85 271 22 62 8 0 10 3.69 35 35 38 0 1 0.229 0.369 0.315 0.684 31 -1 -4 0.481 3.8 100 18 0.140 0.266 0.409 1 0 0 2 8 220 308 DH
TOTALS 3298 12364 2174 3771 624 98 755 6.11 2297 1402 1383 240 73 0.305 0.555 0.374 0.928 2533 1032 822 0.719 7.49 6856 1477 0.25 0.376 0.584 293 32 21 121 328 9136 13940
LG AVG 11637 1479 3062 477 96 298 2.56 1380 1116 1665 158 97 0.263 0.397 0.329 0.727 1533 0 0 0.500 4.53 4625 871 0.134 0.235 0.434 130 72 109 91 264 9136 13026
POS AVG 11844 1634 3238 519 104 389 3.28 1592 1144 1768 160 92 0.273 0.433 0.338 0.772 1736 202 0 0.551 5.13 5132 1012 0.16 0.262 0.467 147 68 69 96 273 9136 13222
[edit]
League leadership rankings
1955 NL
GAMES 7TH 153
AT BATS 6TH 602
RUNS 8TH 105
HITS 2ND 189
SINGLES 10TH 116
DOUBLES 1ST 37
TRIPLES 5TH 9
HOME RUNS 10TH 27
RBI 9TH 106
AVERAGE 5TH .314
SLG 9TH .540
OPS 9TH .906
RUNS CREATED 9TH 113
RCAA 7TH 39
RCAP 7TH 37
OWP 8TH .679
TOTAL BASES 6TH 325
EXTRA BASE HITS 5TH 73
ISOLATED POWER 9TH .226
BPA 9TH .546
GIDP 2ND 20
PLATE APPEARANCES 9TH 665
OUTS 7TH 445
1956 NL
GAMES 6TH 153
AT BATS 5TH 609
RUNS 3RD 106
HITS 1ST 200
SINGLES 6TH 126
DOUBLES 1ST 34
TRIPLES 2ND 14
RBI 9TH 92
AVERAGE 1ST .328
SLG 3RD .558
OPS 5TH .923
RUNS CREATED 5TH 115
RCAA 5TH 39
RCAP 6TH 34
OWP 5TH .679
RUNS CREATED/GAME 7TH 6.96
TOTAL BASES 1ST 340
EXTRA BASE HITS 2ND 74
TOTAL AVERAGE 9TH .869
BPA 10TH .544
GIDP 3RD 21
SACRIFICE FLIES 6TH 7
PLATE APPEARANCES 10TH 660
OUTS 9TH 446
1957 NL
GAMES 6TH 151
AT BATS 5TH 615
RUNS 1ST 118
HITS 2ND 198
SINGLES 8TH 121
HOME RUNS 1ST 44
HR/100 OUTS 1ST 10.14
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.52
HR/100 AB 3RD 7.15
RBI 1ST 132
AVERAGE 4TH .322
SLG 3RD .600
OBA 9TH .378
OPS 3RD .978
RUNS CREATED 2ND 135
RCAA 1ST 66
RCAP 2ND 64
OWP 2ND .772
RUNS CREATED/GAME 3RD 8.40
TOTAL BASES 1ST 369
EXTRA BASE HITS 3RD 77
ISOLATED POWER 4TH .278
SECONDARY AVERAGE 6TH .371
TOTAL AVERAGE 3RD .988
BPA 3RD .612
INTENTIONAL WALKS 2ND 15
PLATE APPEARANCES 7TH 675
OUTS 9TH 434
1958 NL
GAMES 2ND 153
AT BATS 5TH 601
RUNS 3RD 109
HITS 3RD 196
SINGLES 4TH 128
DOUBLES 4TH 4
HOME RUNS 5TH 30
HR/100 OUTS 6TH 6.98
HR/100 PA 5TH 4.52
HR/100 AB 6TH 4.99
RBI 6TH 95
AVERAGE 4TH .326
SLG 3RD .546
OBA 6TH .386
OPS 4TH .931
RUNS CREATED 4TH 120
RCAA 2ND 54
RCAP 3RD 49
OWP 2ND .745
RUNS CREATED/GAME 5TH 7.53
TOTAL BASES 3RD 328
EXTRA BASE HITS 3RD 68
ISOLATED POWER 7TH .220
SECONDARY AVERAGE 9TH .323
TOTAL AVERAGE 5TH .916
BPA 3RD .557
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 16
GIDP 2ND 21
PLATE APPEARANCES 4TH 664
OUTS 10TH 430
1959 NL
GAMES 3RD 154
AT BATS 2ND 629
RUNS 4TH 116
HITS 1ST 223
SINGLES 3RD 131
DOUBLES 2ND 46
TRIPLES 8TH 7
HOME RUNS 3RD 39
HR/100 OUTS 3RD 8.99
HR/100 PA 4TH 5.63
HR/100 AB 4TH 6.20
RBI 3RD 123
AVERAGE 1ST .355
SLG 1ST .636
OBA 2ND .401
OPS 1ST 1.037
RUNS CREATED 1ST 156
RCAA 1ST 82
RCAP 1ST 71
OWP 1ST .794
RUNS CREATED/GAME 1ST 9.71
TOTAL BASES 1ST 400
EXTRA BASE HITS 1ST 92
ISOLATED POWER 3RD .281
SECONDARY AVERAGE 6TH .375
TOTAL AVERAGE 1ST 1.089
BPA 1ST .641
INTENTIONAL WALKS 2ND 17
GIDP 4TH 19
SACRIFICE FLIES 2ND 9
PLATE APPEARANCES 3RD 693
1960 NL
GAMES 4TH 153
AT BATS 5TH 590
RUNS 5TH 102
HITS 6TH 172
TRIPLES 4TH 11
HOME RUNS 2ND 40
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 8.99
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.02
HR/100 AB 3RD 6.78
RBI 1ST 126
WALKS 10TH 60
STOLEN BASES 7TH 16
CAUGHT STEALING 10TH 7
SLG 2ND .566
OPS 5TH .919
RUNS CREATED 3RD 119
RCAA 3RD 51
RCAP 2ND 49
OWP 4TH .732
RUNS CREATED/GAME 5TH 7.22
TOTAL BASES 1ST 334
EXTRA BASE HITS 2ND 71
ISOLATED POWER 3RD .275
SECONDARY AVERAGE 4TH .392
TOTAL AVERAGE 4TH .935
BPA 3RD .598
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 13
SACRIFICE FLIES 1ST 12
PLATE APPEARANCES 8TH 664
OUTS 6TH 445
1961 NL
GAMES 1ST 155
AT BATS 3RD 603
RUNS 3RD 115
HITS 3RD 197
SINGLES 8TH 114
DOUBLES 1ST 39
TRIPLES 5TH 10
HOME RUNS 6TH 34
HR/100 OUTS 6TH 7.71
HR/100 PA 7TH 5.07
HR/100 AB 8TH 5.64
RBI 4TH 120
STOLEN BASES 4TH 21
CAUGHT STEALING 4TH 9
AVERAGE 5TH .327
SLG 3RD .594
OBA 8TH .381
OPS 3RD .974
RUNS CREATED 2ND 131
RCAA 2ND 59
RCAP 5TH 35
WP 3RD .746
RUNS CREATED/GAME 7TH 8.02
TOTAL BASES 1ST 358
EXTRA BASE HITS 1ST 83
ISOLATED POWER 5TH .267
SECONDARY AVERAGE 4TH .380
TOTAL AVERAGE 4TH .993
BPA 3RD .615
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 20
GIDP 10TH 16
SACRIFICE FLIES 2ND 9
PLATE APPEARANCES 3RD 671
OUTS 7TH 441
1962 NL
RUNS 4TH 127
HITS 6TH 191
DOUBLES 10TH 28
HOME RUNS 2ND 45
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 10.51
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.75
HR/100 AB 2ND 7.60
RBI 4TH 128
AVERAGE 5TH .323
SLG 2ND .618
OBA 5TH .390
OPS 2ND 1.008
RUNS CREATED 3RD 139
RCAA 2ND 64
RCAP 2ND 54
OWP 2ND .752
RUNS CREATED/GAME 2ND 8.77
TOTAL BASES 3RD 366
EXTRA BASE HITS 3RD 79
ISOLATED POWER 2ND .296
SECONDARY AVERAGE 4TH .421
TOTAL AVERAGE 3RD 1.050
BPA 3RD .643
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 14
SACRIFICE FLIES 10TH 6
1963 NL
GAMES 4TH 161
AT BATS 5TH 631
RUNS 1ST 121
HITS 2ND 201
DOUBLES 10TH 29
HOME RUNS 1ST 44
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 9.76
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.16
HR/100 AB 2ND 6.97
RBI 1ST 130
WALKS 3RD 78
STOLEN BASES 2ND 31
AVERAGE 3RD .319
SLG 1ST .586
OBA 2ND .391
OPS 1ST .977
RUNS CREATED 1ST 149
RCAA 1ST 79
RCAP 1ST 61
OWP 1ST .798
RUNS CREATED/GAME 1ST 8.92
TOTAL BASES 1ST 370
EXTRA BASE HITS 1ST 77
ISOLATED POWER 3RD .268
SECONDARY AVERAGE 1ST .433
TOTAL AVERAGE 1ST 1.063
BPA 1ST .648
INTENTIONAL WALKS 2ND 18
PLATE APPEARANCES 2ND 714
1964 NL
RUNS 4TH 103
HITS 8TH 187
SINGLES 8TH 131
HOME RUNS 9TH 24
HR/100 OUTS 10TH 5.84
RBI 10TH 95
WALKS 9TH 62
STOLEN BASES 6TH 22
AVERAGE 3RD .328
SLG 8TH .514
OBA 3RD .393
OPS 6TH .907
RUNS CREATED 7TH 112
RCAA 5TH 47
RCAP 6TH 36
OWP 6TH .727
RUNS CREATED/GAME 6TH 7.36
SECONDARY AVERAGE 7TH .326
TOTAL AVERAGE 6TH .912
BPA 8TH .554
GIDP 2ND 22
1965 NL
RUNS 5TH 109
HITS 10TH 181
DOUBLES 1ST 40
HOME RUNS 6TH 32
HR/100 OUTS 4TH 7.69
HR/100 PA 5TH 5.01
HR/100 AB 6TH 5.61
STOLEN BASES 6TH 24
AVERAGE 2ND .318
SLG 2ND .560
OBA 5TH .379
OPS 2ND .938
RUNS CREATED 3RD 121
RCAA 3RD 51
RCAP 5TH 37
OWP 2ND .729
RUNS CREATED/GAME 2ND 7.85
TOTAL BASES 4TH 319
EXTRA BASE HITS 3RD 73
ISOLATED POWER 6TH .242
SECONDARY AVERAGE 4TH .382
TOTAL AVERAGE 2ND .980
BPA 2ND .603
SACRIFICE FLIES 4TH 8
1966 NL
GAMES 6TH 158
RUNS 2ND 117
HOME RUNS 1ST 44
HR/100 OUTS 3RD 9.57
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.40
HR/100 AB 2ND 7.30
RBI 1ST 127
WALKS 3RD 76
STOLEN BASES 7TH 21
SLG 6TH .539
OPS 8TH .895
RUNS CREATED 4TH 117
RCAA 8TH 42
RCAP 7TH 32
OWP 8TH .689
RUNS CREATED/GAME 8TH 6.87
TOTAL BASES 4TH 325
EXTRA BASE HITS 5TH 68
ISOLATED POWER 5TH .260
SECONDARY AVERAGE 3RD .416
TOTAL AVERAGE 6TH .929
BPA 4TH .590
INTENTIONAL WALKS 4TH 15
SACRIFICE FLIES 2ND 8
PLATE APPEARANCES 6TH 688
1967 NL
GAMES 9TH 155
AT BATS 6TH 600
RUNS 1ST 113
HITS 6TH 184
DOUBLES 2ND 37
HOME RUNS 1ST 39
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 8.88
HR/100 PA 1ST 5.83
HR/100 AB 2ND 6.50
RBI 3RD 109
STOLEN BASES 10TH 17
AVERAGE 8TH .307
SLG 1ST .573
OPS 3RD .943
RUNS CREATED 1ST 126
RCAA 2ND 55
RCAP 5TH 41
OWP 4TH .735
RUNS CREATED/GAME 4TH 7.75
TOTAL BASES 1ST 344
EXTRA BASE HITS 1ST 79
ISOLATED POWER 1ST .267
SECONDARY AVERAGE 5TH .390
TOTAL AVERAGE 2ND .965
BPA 2ND .608
INTENTIONAL WALKS 5TH 19
SACRIFICE FLIES 7TH 6
PLATE APPEARANCES 7TH 669
1968 NL
GAMES 4TH 160
RUNS 10TH 84
HITS 10TH 174
DOUBLES 6TH 33
HOME RUNS 5TH 29
HR/100 OUTS 5TH 6.26
HR/100 PA 6TH 4.29
HR/100 AB 6TH 4.79
RBI 7TH 86
WALKS 8TH 64
STOLEN BASES 4TH 28
SLG 4TH .498
OPS 5TH .852
RUNS CREATED 4TH 104
RCAA 2ND 45
RCAP 2ND 40
OWP 3RD .736
RUNS CREATED/GAME 5TH 6.06
TOTAL BASES 2ND 302
EXTRA BASE HITS 2ND 66
ISOLATED POWER 5TH .211
SECONDARY AVERAGE 4TH .355
TOTAL AVERAGE 4TH .852
BPA 3RD .546
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 23
GIDP 1ST 21
1969 NL
RUNS 10TH 100
DOUBLES 10TH 30
HOME RUNS 2ND 44
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 10.73
HR/100 PA 2ND 6.89
HR/100 AB 2ND 8.04
RBI 7TH 97
WALKS 7TH 87
CAUGHT STEALING 5TH 10
SLG 2ND .607
OBA 7TH .396
OPS 2ND 1.003
RUNS CREATED 3RD 127
RCAA 4TH 58
RCAP 5TH 41
OWP 6TH .750
RUNS CREATED/GAME 5TH 8.36
TOTAL BASES 1ST 332
EXTRA BASE HITS 1ST 77
ISOLATED POWER 2ND .307
SECONDARY AVERAGE 3RD .464
TOTAL AVERAGE 3RD 1.032
BPA 2ND .635
INTENTIONAL WALKS 2ND 19
1970 NL
RUNS 9TH 103
HOME RUNS 5TH 38
HR/100 OUTS 2ND 9.97
HR/100 PA 3RD 6.35
HR/100 AB 4TH 7.36
RBI 5TH 118
SLG 7TH .574
OPS 6TH .958
RCAA 10TH 42
OWP 7TH .693
RUNS CREATED/GAME 6TH 8.15
EXTRA BASE HITS 9TH 65
ISOLATED POWER 4TH .275
SECONDARY AVERAGE 5TH .436
TOTAL AVERAGE 6TH 1.016
BPA 5TH .615
INTENTIONAL WALKS 5TH 15
1971 NL
RUNS 6TH 95
HOME RUNS 2ND 47
HR/100 OUTS 1ST 13.51
HR/100 PA 1ST 8.20
HR/100 AB 1ST 9.49
RBI 3RD 118
AVERAGE 5TH .327
SLG 1ST .669
OBA 3RD .410
OPS 1ST 1.079
RUNS CREATED 2ND 135
RCAA 2ND 73
RCAP 3RD 60
OWP 2ND .804
RUNS CREATED/GAME 1ST 10.47
TOTAL BASES 2ND 331
EXTRA BASE HITS 2ND 72
ISOLATED POWER 1ST .341
SECONDARY AVERAGE 3RD .485
TOTAL AVERAGE 1ST 1.178
BPA 1ST .689
INTENTIONAL WALKS 1ST 21
1972 NL
HOME RUNS 4TH 34
HR/100 OUTS 1ST 9.74
HR/100 PA 1ST 6.25
HR/100 AB 1ST 7.57
WALKS 4TH 92
SLG 5TH .514
OBA 4TH .390
OPS 5TH .904
OWP 8TH .675
RUNS CREATED/GAME 5TH 6.96
ISOLATED POWER 5TH .249
SECONDARY AVERAGE 1ST .463
TOTAL AVERAGE 5TH .945
BPA 6TH .572
INTENTIONAL WALKS 3RD 15
GIDP 7TH 17
1973 NL
HOME RUNS 4TH 40
RUNS CREATED 9TH 103
RCAA 5TH 47
RCAP 9TH 36
[edit]
Trivia
* Despite hitting more career home runs than any other player, Hank Aaron's single-season high was 47. This figure puts him in a tie for the 64th-best season mark by a hitter. His second-best total, 45, is only tied for 100th-best. However, his statistics were quite consistent from year-to-year and he remained free from major injuries throughout his career, never playing in fewer than 145 games from 1955 to 1970.
* Hank Aaron hit home runs against 23 Major League Baseball clubs and he had 2 favorite targets; He hit a home run 97 times against the Cincinnati Reds and 91 times against the St. Louis Cardinals.
* An astounding statistic about Aaron, is the fact that if all his home runs were to be taken away from his hit total, he still would have over 3,000 hits, which shows how great a hitter he truly was.
* His uniform number 44, assigned early in his major league career, proved to be an amusing coincidental "good luck" number, as he hit 44 home runs in four different season. Also, his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record, came off a pitch by the Dodgers' Al Downing, who also bore number 44 on his back.
* Although Hank Aaron is still the all time home run hitter in Major League Baseball, he is second under former Japanese baseball player Sadaharu Oh (868) as the all time home run hitter in recorded baseball history. ***** League player Josh Gibson was said to have also hit "almost 800" home runs, but recordkeeping in the ***** Leagues was fragmentary.
* For 50 years, from 1954 to 2004, Henry Aaron was baseball's premiere player from an alphabetical standpoint. Prior to Aaron's arrival on the major league scene in 1954, the alphabetically premiere players had been:
o Ed Abbaticchio - debut in 1897
o Bert Abbey - debut in 1892
o Dan Abbott - debut in 1890
o George Adams - debut in 1879
o Bob Addy - debut in 1876
(Source: The Baseball Encyclopedia)
* Aaron's brother Tommie was #2 in this esoteric category. Both Aarons were bumped down one notch in baseball's player register in April 2004, when San Francisco Giants relief pitcher David Aardsma joined the series.
* Tommie Aaron and Hank Aaron combined for the most major league home runs by brothers (Tommie hit 13 career home runs).
* It is jokingly said that Hank Aaron has an Erdős number of 1 because he and Paul Erdős both autographed the same baseball when Emory University awarded them honorary degrees on the same day.
* In 2002, Aaron played himself (and his fictional decendent Hank Aaron XXIV) in an episode of Futurama called "A Leela of Her Own", and in an episode of the sitcom "Happy Days".
* American rapper MC Hammer was given his nickname after initially trying to become a baseball player, and some of his colleagues noted similarities between him and Aaron, who was nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank".
* The Mobile BayBears, the Class AA minor league team in Aaron's hometown, play in Hank Aaron Stadium.
* His jersey number during his rookie year was #5, stemming from the fact his birthday was on the 5th of February. The following year, he was given the jersey number he is best remembered for, #44.
[edit]
References
1. ^ a b c
2. ^ a b c d e f Allen, Bob & Bill Gilbert. (1999) The 500 Home Run Club, Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-031-2.
3. ^ a b Spencer, Lauren. (2003) Hank Aaron, The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-3600-7.
4. ^
4. Jordan, Pat. A False Spring. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1975.
[edit]
See also
* 500 home run club
* 3000 hit club
* 3000-500 Club
* List of lifetime home run leaders through history
* List of major league players with 2,000 hits
* Hank Aaron has been featured in several video games, including Baseball Stars
* Pietrusza, David, Matthew Silverman & Michael Gershman, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated.
[edit]
External links
* Baseball Hall of Fame
* Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
* Baseball Page
* Baseball Library
* Hickok Sports
* Hank Aaron Quotes
* New Georgia Encyclopedia
* Hank Aaron stats, biography and information.
* Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
* The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Hammerin' Hank and The Babe
Preceded by:
Richie Ashburn National League Batting Champion
1956 Succeeded by:
Stan Musial
Preceded by:
Don Newcombe National League Most Valuable Player
1957 Succeeded by:
Ernie Banks
Preceded by:
Richie Ashburn National League Batting Champion
1959 Succeeded by:
Dick Groat
Preceded by:
Pete Rose Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1970 Succeeded by:
Harmon Killebrew
Preceded by:
Babe Ruth Career home run record holders
1974 – present Incumbent
Major League Baseball | MLB All-Century Team
Nolan Ryan | Sandy Koufax | Cy Young | Roger Clemens | Bob Gibson | Walter Johnson | Warren Spahn | Christy Mathewson | Lefty Grove
Johnny Bench | Yogi Berra | Lou Gehrig | Mark McGwire | Jackie Robinson | Rogers Hornsby | Mike Schmidt | Brooks Robinson | Cal Ripken, Jr. | Ernie Banks | Honus Wagner
Babe Ruth | Hank Aaron | Ted Williams | Willie Mays | Joe DiMaggio | Mickey Mantle | Ty Cobb | Ken Griffey, Jr. | Pete Rose | Stan Musial
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Aaron"
Categories: 1934 births | 1955 National League All-Stars | 1956 National League All-Stars | 1957 National League All-Stars | 1957 Milwaukee Braves World Series Championship Team | 1958 National League All-Stars | 1959 National League All-Stars | 1960 National League All-Stars | 1961 National League All-Stars | 1962 National League All-Stars | 1963 National League All-Stars | 1964 National League All-Stars | 1965 National League All-Stars | 1966 National League All-Stars | 1967 National League All-Stars | 1968 National League All-Stars | 1969 National League All-Stars | 1970 National League All-Stars | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | 1971 National League All-Stars | 1972 National League All-Stars | 1973 National League All-Stars | 1974 National League All-Stars | 1975 American League All-Stars | 30-30 club | 3000 hit club | 500 home run club | African American baseball players | Atlanta Braves players | Baseball Hall of Fame | Gold Glove Award winners | American cultural icons | Living people | MacGyver actors | Major league players from Alabama | Major league right fielders | Milwaukee Braves players | Milwaukee Brewers players | People from Mobile, Alabama | National League batting champions | ***** League baseball players | Indianapolis Clowns players | People from Atlanta | Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients | Silver Buffalo awardees | Spingarn Medal winners
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