About
Babe Ruth, born George Herman Ruth in Baltimore in 1895, is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He began his career as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, winning three World Series before being sold to the New York Yankees in 1919. With the Yankees, he became an outfielder and powerful slugger, revolutionizing the game with his home runs. He set career records for home runs (714) and single-season home runs (60 in 1927), and led the Yankees to four World Series titles. His career batting average of .342 and slugging percentage of .690 remain among the best in history. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936, he remains an American cultural icon.
Key milestones
- 1914Debuts in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher.
- 1919Sold to the New York Yankees for $100,000, a record sum at the time.
- 1927Hits 60 home runs in a single season, setting a record that stood for 34 years.
Themes
Athletic excellenceRecords and achievementsCultural impactTransformation of the gameAmerican legend
Sources: baseballhall.org · britannica.com