Babe Ruth

	Profile
	Name: George Herman Ruth Born: February 6, 1895 (Baltimore, Maryland) Died: August 16, 1948 (New York, New York) Height: 6'2" Weight: 215 lbs. Batted: Left Threw: Left Position: Outfield, Pitcher Induction Date: Wednesday, August 5, 1998 % of the Votes: 34%

Career Highlights

Began his career as a left-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox in 1914, compiling a 78-40 record Converted to a hitter in 1919 because of his great hitting ability During the 1919 season, he set a new home run record (29) and led the league in runs, RBI's, and slugging percentage. That winter Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees He led the league in home runs in 8 of the next 10 years He bested his own home run record by hitting 60 in 1927.

Quote about The Babe

"... I've seen them; kids, men, women, worshippers all, hoping to get his name on a torn, dirty piece of paper, or hoping for a grunt of recognition when they said, 'Hi-ya, Babe.' He never let them down; not once. He was the greatest crowd pleaser of them all." - Waite Hoyt, teammate of Babe Ruth

	Career Totals
	During his illustrious career he: Played a total of 20 seasons. Led the league in home run 12 times, in runs 8 times, in RBI's 6 times, and in slugging 13 times. Ended with a lifetime batting average of .342 Is the all-time leader in home run percentages (1/8.5 AB), walks (2056), and slugging (.690). Is 2nd all-time in home runs (714), runs, and RBIs

Quote from The Babe

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth

Did You Know?

Babe Ruth is credited with the invention of the modern baseball bat. He was the first player to order a bat with a knob on the end of the handle. Louisville Slugger produced the bat which he hit 29 home runs in 1919. Babe Ruth was one of only two people (Reggie Jackson being the other) to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game and is the only one to do it twice (1926& 1928). Babe Ruth and Ralph Kiner ranked first and second respectively as the outfielders with the highest average home runs per at-bat. Babe Ruth led the American League in home runs 12 times. Babe Ruth holds the record for the longest complete game victory in World Series history. In 1916, as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Ruth went 14 innings to defeat the New York Giants 2-1. Babe Ruth has the most base on balls with 2,056. When Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927, he hit 14% of all home runs in his league that year. For a player to hit 14% of all home runs today, he would have to hit over 300 home runs in one season.

Quote about The Babe

"He has created an expectation of hero worship on the part of the youth of this country, and it was a most fortunate thing that Ruth kept faith with the boyhood of America because they loved him." - Branch Rickey, ex-Manager of Brooklyn Dodgers

Lifetime Hitting Statistics

Statistics from Fan Park Encyclopedia (c) 1998 Miller Associates, Inc. | Screenshot courtesy of Baseball City Hall of Fame

Lifetime Pitching Statistics

Statistics from Fan Park Encyclopedia (c) 1998 Miller Associates, Inc. | Screenshot courtesy of Baseball City Hall of Fame

	Multimedia
	Relive one of Babe Ruth's many home runs Babe Ruth's Farewell Speech - Hear Babe Ruth, arguably the best baseball player ever, bid farewell to his many fans at Yankee Stadium on April 27, 1947. Ruth died the following year of cancer.

Farewell from The Babe

"Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. You know how bad my voice sounds. Well, it feels just as bad. You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys. And after you've been a boy, and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in our national pastime." - Babe Ruth