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{{Short description|American baseball player (1895–1948)}}
{{about|the baseball player}}
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'''George Herman''' "'''Babe'''" '''Ruth''' (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional [[Baseball in the United States|baseball]] player whose career in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "'''the Bambino'''" and "'''the Sultan of Swat'''", he began his MLB career as a star left-handed [[pitcher]] for the [[Boston Red Sox]], but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging [[outfielder]] for the [[New York Yankees]]. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in [[Culture of the United States|American culture]] and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected
At age seven, Ruth was sent to [[Cardinal Gibbons School (Baltimore, Maryland)|St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys]], a [[Reform school|reformatory]] where he was mentored by Brother Matthias Boutlier of the [[Xaverian Brothers]], the school's disciplinarian and a capable baseball player. In 1914, Ruth was signed to play [[Minor League Baseball|Minor League]] baseball for the [[Baltimore Orioles (minor league)|Baltimore Orioles]] but was soon sold to the Red Sox. By 1916, he had built a reputation as an outstanding pitcher who sometimes hit long home runs, a feat unusual for any player in the [[dead-ball era]]. Although Ruth twice [[Win–loss record (pitching)|won]] 23 games in a season as a pitcher and was a member of three [[World Series]] championship teams with the Red Sox, he wanted to play every day and was allowed to convert to an outfielder. With regular playing time, he broke the [[List of Major League Baseball progressive single-season home run leaders|MLB single-season home run record]] in 1919 with 29.
After that season, Red Sox owner [[Harry Frazee]] sold Ruth to the Yankees amid controversy. The trade fueled Boston's subsequent 86-year championship drought and popularized the "[[Curse of the Bambino]]" superstition. In his 15 years with the Yankees, Ruth helped the team win seven [[List of American League pennant winners|American League (AL) pennants]] and four World Series championships. His big swing led to escalating home run totals that not only drew fans to the ballpark and boosted the sport's popularity but also helped usher in baseball's [[live-ball era]], which evolved from a low-scoring game of strategy to a sport where the home run was a major factor. As part of the Yankees' vaunted "[[Murderers' Row]]" lineup of 1927, Ruth hit 60 home runs, which extended his own MLB single-season record by a single home run. Ruth's last season with the Yankees was 1934
During Ruth's career, he was the target of intense press and public attention for his baseball exploits and off-field penchants for drinking and womanizing. After his retirement as a player, he was denied the opportunity to manage a major league club, most likely because of poor behavior during parts of his playing career. In his final years, Ruth made many public appearances, especially in support of American efforts in World War II. In 1946, he became ill with [[nasopharyngeal cancer]] and died from the disease two years later. Ruth remains a major figure in American culture.
==Early
[[File:Babe Ruth Birthplace.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|left|[[Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum|Ruth's birthplace]] in Baltimore, Maryland]]
[[File:BabeRuthSr2.jpg|thumb|right|Babe Ruth's parents, George Herman Sr. and Katherine]]
George Herman Ruth Jr. was born on February 6, 1895, at 216 Emory Street in the [[Pigtown, Baltimore|Pigtown]] section of [[Baltimore]], in a house which belonged to his maternal grandfather Pius Schamberger, a German immigrant and trade unionist. Ruth's parents, Katherine (née Schamberger) and George Herman Ruth Sr., were both of [[German Americans|German ancestry]]. According to the 1880 census, his parents were both born in Maryland. His paternal grandparents were from [[Prussia]] and [[Hanover]], Germany. Ruth Sr. worked a series of jobs that included [[lightning rod]] salesman and [[streetcar]] operator. The elder Ruth then became a counterman in a family-owned combination grocery and saloon business on Frederick Street.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=24–25}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Smelser|1975|pp=5–8}}</ref> Only one of young Ruth's seven siblings, his younger sister Mamie, survived infancy.<ref>{{harvp|Smelser|1975|pp=7–9}}</ref>
Many details of Ruth's childhood are unknown, including the date of his parents' marriage.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=11}}</ref> As a child, Ruth spoke [[German language|German]].<ref>{{citation|last=Sowell|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Sowell|title=Migrations and Cultures: A World View|publisher=[[Basic Books]]|place=[[New York City|New York]]|year=1996|page=82|quote={{nbsp}}...it may be indicative of how long German cultural ties endured [in the United States] that the German language was spoken in childhood by such disparate twentieth-century American figures as famed writer [[H. L. Mencken]], baseball stars Babe Ruth and [[Lou Gehrig]], and by the Nobel Prize-winning economist [[George Stigler]].|isbn=978-0-465-04589-1}}</ref> When Ruth was a toddler, the family moved to 339 South Woodyear Street, not far from the rail yards; by the time he was six years old, his father had a saloon with an upstairs apartment at 426 West Camden Street. Details are equally scanty about why Ruth was sent at the age of seven to [[Cardinal Gibbons School (Baltimore, Maryland)|St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys]], a reformatory and orphanage.<ref name="Wagenheim1314"/><ref name="Creamer2931"/><ref name="Montville811"/> However, according to [[Julia Ruth Stevens]]' recount in 1999, because George Sr. was a saloon owner in Baltimore and had given Ruth little supervision growing up, he became a delinquent. Ruth was sent to St. Mary's because George Sr. ran out of ideas to discipline and mentor his son.<ref name=":1">{{cite episode |title=Babe Ruth |network=[[ESPN]] |series=SportsCentury |date=December 26, 1999}}</ref> As an adult, Ruth admitted that as a youth he ran the streets, rarely attended school, and drank beer when his father was not looking. Some accounts say that following a violent incident at his father's saloon, the city authorities decided that this environment was unsuitable for a small child. Ruth entered St. Mary's on June 13, 1902. He was recorded as "incorrigible" and spent much of the next 12 years there.<ref name="Wagenheim1314">{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=13–14}}</ref><ref name="Creamer2931">{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=29–31}}</ref><ref name="Montville811">{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=8–11}}</ref>
Although St. Mary's boys received an education, students were also expected to learn work skills and help operate the school, particularly once the boys turned 12. Ruth became a shirtmaker and was also proficient as a carpenter. He would adjust his own shirt collars, rather than having a tailor do so, even during his well-paid baseball career. The boys, aged 5 to 21, did most of the work around the facility, from cooking to shoemaking, and renovated St. Mary's in 1912. The food was simple, and the [[Xaverian Brothers]] who ran the school insisted on strict discipline; corporal punishment was common. Ruth's nickname there was "Niggerlips", as he had large facial features and was darker than most boys at the all-white reformatory.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=19–23}}</ref>
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In early 1914, Ruth signed a professional baseball contract with [[Jack Dunn (baseball)|Jack Dunn]], who owned and managed the [[Minor League Baseball|minor-league]] [[Baltimore Orioles (minor league)|Baltimore Orioles]], an [[International League]] team. The circumstances of Ruth's signing are not known with certainty. By some accounts, Dunn was urged to attend a game between an all-star team from St. Mary's and one from another Xaverian facility, [[Mount St. Mary's University|Mount St. Mary's College]]. Some versions have Ruth running away before the eagerly awaited game, to return in time to be punished, and then pitching St. Mary's to victory as Dunn watched. Others have [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] pitcher [[Joe Engel]], a Mount St. Mary's graduate, pitching in an alumni game after watching a preliminary contest between the college's freshmen and a team from St. Mary's, including Ruth. Engel watched Ruth play, then told Dunn about him at a chance meeting in Washington. Ruth, in his autobiography, stated only that he worked out for Dunn for a half hour, and was signed.<ref name = "cream">{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=48–51}}</ref> According to biographer Kal Wagenheim, there were legal difficulties to be straightened out as Ruth was supposed to remain at the school until he turned 21, though{{efn|Ruth long thought his birthday was February 7, 1894. This was, in fact, the birthday of an elder brother of the same name, who died soon after birth. Ruth learned this when he needed a passport in 1934.}}<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|p=19}}</ref> [[SportsCentury]] stated in a documentary that Ruth had already been discharged from St. Mary's when he turned 19, and earned a monthly salary of $100.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:1914 Babe Ruth baseball card 02.jpeg|thumb|left|upright|[[Baseball card]] showing Ruth as a [[Baltimore Orioles (minor league)|Baltimore Oriole]], 1914]]
The train journey to spring training in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]], in early March was likely Ruth's first outside the Baltimore area.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=20–21}}</ref> The rookie ballplayer was the subject of various pranks by veteran players, who were probably also the source of his famous nickname. There are various accounts of how Ruth came to be called "Babe", but most center on his being referred to as "Dunnie's babe" (or some variant). SportsCentury reported that his nickname was gained because he was the new "darling" or "project" of Dunn, not only because of Ruth's raw talent, but also because of his lack of knowledge of the proper etiquette of eating out in a restaurant, being in a hotel, or being on a train. "Babe" was, at that time, a common nickname in baseball, with perhaps the most famous to that point being [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] pitcher and [[1909 World Series]] hero [[Babe Adams]], who appeared younger than his actual age.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|p=36}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=22}}</ref>
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====Developing star====
[[File:Babe Ruth Boston pitching.jpg|thumb|left|Ruth pitching for the [[Boston Red Sox]]]]
On July 11, 1914, Ruth arrived in Boston with Egan and Shore. Ruth later told the story of how that morning he had met [[Helen Woodford Ruth|Helen Woodford]], who would become his first wife. She was a 16-year-old waitress at Landers Coffee Shop, and Ruth related that she served him when he had breakfast there. Other stories, though, suggested that the meeting occurred on another day, and perhaps under other circumstances. Regardless of when he began to
Egan was traded to Cleveland after two weeks on the Boston roster. During his time with the Red Sox, he kept an eye on the inexperienced Ruth, much as Dunn had in Baltimore. When he was traded, no one took his place as supervisor. Ruth's new teammates considered him brash and would have preferred him as a rookie to remain quiet and inconspicuous. When Ruth insisted on taking batting practice despite being both a rookie who did not play regularly and a pitcher, he arrived to find his bats sawed in half. His teammates nicknamed him "the Big Baboon", a name the swarthy Ruth, who had disliked the nickname "Niggerlips" at St. Mary's, detested.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=43–44}}</ref> Ruth had received a raise on promotion to the major leagues and quickly acquired tastes for fine food, liquor, and women, among other temptations.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=27–29}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=52–55}}</ref>
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Carrigan was sufficiently impressed by Ruth's pitching to give him a spot in the starting rotation. Ruth finished the 1915 season 18–8 as a pitcher; as a hitter, he batted .315 and had four home runs. The Red Sox won the [[List of American League pennant winners|AL pennant]], but with the pitching staff healthy, Ruth was not called upon to pitch in the [[1915 World Series]] against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]]. Boston won in five games. Ruth was used as a pinch hitter in Game Five, but [[Ground out (baseball)|grounded out]] against Phillies ace [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]].<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=50–52}}</ref> Despite his success as a pitcher, Ruth was acquiring a reputation for long home runs; at [[Sportsman's Park]] against the [[St. Louis Browns]], a Ruth hit soared over Grand Avenue, breaking the window of a [[Chevrolet]] dealership.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=33}}</ref>
In 1916, attention focused on Ruth's pitching as he engaged in repeated pitching duels with Washington Senators' ace [[Walter Johnson]]. The two met five times during the season with Ruth winning four and Johnson one (Ruth had a [[Win–loss record (pitching)|no decision]] in Johnson's victory). Two of Ruth's victories were by the score of 1–0, one in a 13-inning game. Of the 1–0 [[Shutouts in baseball|shutout]] decided without extra innings, AL president [[Ban Johnson]] stated, "That was one of the best ball games I have ever seen."<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=56–57}}</ref> For the season, Ruth went 23–12, with a 1.75 ERA and nine shutouts, both of which led the league.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=55}}</ref> Ruth's nine shutouts in 1916 set a league record for left-handers that would remain unmatched until [[Ron Guidry]] tied it in 1978.<ref>{{
Carrigan retired as player and manager after 1916, returning to his native Maine to be a businessman. Ruth, who played under four managers who are in the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|National Baseball Hall of Fame]], always maintained that Carrigan, who is not enshrined there, was the best skipper he ever played for.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=33, 85}}</ref> There were other changes in the Red Sox organization that offseason, as Lannin sold the team to a three-man group headed by New York theatrical promoter [[Harry Frazee]].<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=133}}</ref> [[Jack Barry (baseball)|Jack Barry]] was hired by Frazee as manager.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=134}}</ref>
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Although Barrow predicted that Ruth would beg to return to pitching the first time he experienced a batting slump, that did not occur. Barrow used Ruth primarily as an outfielder in the war-shortened 1918 season. Ruth hit .300, with 11 home runs, enough to secure him a share of the [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|major league home run title]] with [[Tilly Walker]] of the Philadelphia Athletics. He was still occasionally used as a pitcher, and had a 13–7 record with a 2.22 ERA.<ref name="stats" /><ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|p=42}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=153–170}}</ref>
In 1918, the Red Sox won their third pennant in four years and faced the [[Chicago Cubs]] in the [[1918 World Series|World Series]], which began on September 5, the earliest date in history. The season had been shortened because the government had ruled that baseball players who were eligible for the military would have to be inducted or work in critical war industries, such as armaments plants. Ruth pitched and won Game One for the Red Sox, a 1–0 shutout. Before Game Four, Ruth injured his left hand in a fight but pitched anyway. He gave up seven hits and six walks, but was helped by outstanding fielding behind him and by his own batting efforts, as a fourth-inning [[Triple (baseball)|triple]] by Ruth gave his team a 2–0 lead. The Cubs tied the game in the eighth inning, but the Red Sox scored to take a 3–2 lead again in the bottom of that inning. After Ruth gave up a hit and a walk to start the ninth inning, he was relieved on the mound by [[Bullet Joe Bush|Joe Bush]]. To keep Ruth and his bat in the game, he was sent to play [[left fielder|left field]]. Bush retired the side to give Ruth his second win of the Series, and the third and last World Series pitching victory of his career, against no defeats, in three pitching appearances. Ruth's effort gave his team a three-games-to-one lead, and two days later the Red Sox won their third Series in four years, four-games-to-two. Before allowing the Cubs to score in Game Four, Ruth pitched {{frac|29|2|3}} [[Scoreless innings streak#Postseason|consecutive scoreless innings]], a record for the World Series that stood for more than 40 years until 1961, broken by [[Whitey Ford]]
[[File:Babe Ruth by Bain, 1919.jpg|thumb|left|Ruth in 1919]]
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As an out-of-towner from New York City, Frazee had been regarded with suspicion by Boston's sportswriters and baseball fans when he bought the team. He won them over with success on the field and a willingness to build the Red Sox by purchasing or trading for players. He offered the Senators $60,000 for Walter Johnson, but Washington owner [[Clark Griffith]] was unwilling. Even so, Frazee was successful in bringing other players to Boston, especially as replacements for players in the military. This willingness to spend for players helped the Red Sox secure the 1918 title.<ref>{{harvp|Reisler|2004|pp=4–5}}</ref> The 1919 season saw record-breaking attendance, and Ruth's home runs for Boston made him a national sensation. In March 1919 Ruth was reported as having accepted a three-year contract for a total of $27,000, after protracted negotiations. Nevertheless, on December 26, 1919, Frazee sold Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=204–205}}</ref>
[[File:Babe Ruth by Paul Thompson, 1920.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Ruth in his first year with the [[New York Yankees]], 1920]]
Not all the circumstances concerning the sale are known, but brewer and former congressman [[Jacob Ruppert]], the New York team's principal owner, reportedly asked Yankee manager [[Miller Huggins]] what the team needed to be successful. "Get Ruth from Boston", Huggins supposedly replied, noting that Frazee was perennially in need of money to finance his theatrical productions.<ref>{{harvp|Reisler|2004|pp=2–3}}</ref>
Although Ruppert and his co-owner, Colonel [[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston|Tillinghast Huston]], were both wealthy, and had aggressively purchased and traded for players in 1918 and 1919 to build a winning team, Ruppert faced losses in his brewing interests as [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] was implemented, and if their team left the Polo Grounds, where the Yankees were the tenants of the New York Giants, building a stadium in New York would be expensive. Nevertheless, when Frazee, who moved in the same social circles as Huston, hinted to the colonel that Ruth was available for the right price, the Yankees owners quickly pursued the purchase.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=205–207}}</ref>
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===New York Yankees (1920–1934)===
====Initial success (1920–1923)====
When Ruth signed with the Yankees,
At the end of April 1920, the Yankees were 4–7, with the Red Sox leading the league with a 10–2 mark. Ruth had done little, having injured himself swinging the bat.<ref>{{harvp|Stout|2002|p=90}}</ref> Both situations began to change on May 1, when Ruth hit a tape measure home run that sent the ball completely out of the Polo Grounds, a feat believed to have been previously accomplished only by [[Shoeless Joe Jackson]]. The Yankees won, 6–0, taking three out of four from the Red Sox.<ref>{{harvp|Reisler|2004|pp=74–75}}</ref> Ruth hit his second home run on May 2, and by the end of the month had set a major league record for home runs in a month with 11, and promptly broke it with 13 in June.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=112–113}}</ref> Fans responded with record attendance figures. On May 16, Ruth and the Yankees drew 38,600 to the Polo Grounds, a record for the ballpark, and 15,000 fans were turned away. Large crowds jammed stadiums to see Ruth play when the Yankees were on the road.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=225}}</ref>
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}}
In the offseason, Ruth spent some time in [[Havana]], Cuba, where he was said to have lost $35,000 ({{Inflation|US|35000|1921|fmt=eq|r=-4}}) betting on horse races.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Special to the New York Times |title=Says Ruth Lost $35,000 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/01/103526324.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031164944/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/01/103526324.pdf |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=December 1, 2022 |work=The New York Times |
Ruth hit home runs early and often in the 1921 season, during which he broke [[Roger Connor]]'s mark for home runs in a career, 138. Each of the almost 600 home runs Ruth hit in his career after that extended his own record. After a slow start, the Yankees were soon locked in a tight pennant race with Cleveland, winners of the [[1920 World Series]]. On September 15, Ruth hit his 55th home run, breaking his year-old single-season record. In late September, the Yankees visited Cleveland and won three out of four games, giving them the upper hand in the race, and clinched their first pennant a few days later. Ruth finished the regular season with 59 home runs, batting .378 and with a [[slugging percentage]] of .846.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=204, 238–240}}</ref> Ruth's 177 runs scored, 119 extra-base hits, and 457 total bases set modern-era records that still stand {{as of
The Yankees had high expectations when they met the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] in the [[1921 World Series]], every game of which was played in the Polo Grounds. The Yankees won the first two games with Ruth in the lineup. However, Ruth badly scraped his elbow during Game 2 when he slid into third base (he had walked and [[stolen base|stolen]] both second and third bases). After the game, he was told by the team physician not to play the rest of the series.<ref>{{harvp|Spatz|Steinberg|2010|p=355}}</ref> Despite this advice, he did play in the next three games, and pinch-hit in Game Eight of the best-of-nine series, but the Yankees lost, five games to three. Ruth hit .316, drove in five runs and hit his first World Series home run.<ref name="stats" /><ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=95–96}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=241–243}}</ref>
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====Batting title and "bellyache" (1924–1925)====
[[File:
In 1924, the Yankees were favored to become the first team to win four consecutive pennants. Plagued by injuries, they found themselves in a battle with the Senators. Although the Yankees won 18 of 22 at one point in September, the Senators beat out the Yankees by two games. Ruth hit .378, winning his only AL [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|batting title]], with a league-leading 46 home runs.<ref>{{harvp|Graham|1943|pp=101–102}}</ref>
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====Murderers' Row (1926–1928)====
[[File:Babecomeshome-poster-1927.jpg|upright|thumb|Ruth took time off in 1927 to star with [[Anna Q. Nilsson]] in this [[First National Pictures|First National]] [[silent film|silent]] production ''[[Babe Comes Home]]''. This film is now [[lost film|lost]]. ]]▼
Ruth spent part of the offseason of 1925–26 working out at [[Artie McGovern]]'s gym, where he got back into shape. Barrow and Huggins had rebuilt the team and surrounded the veteran core with good young players like [[Tony Lazzeri]] and [[Lou Gehrig]], but the Yankees were not expected to win the pennant.<ref>{{harvp|Stout|2002|pp=116–117}}</ref>
Ruth returned to his normal production during 1926, when he batted .372 with 47 home runs and 146 RBIs.<ref name = "stats" /> The Yankees built a 10-game lead by mid-June and coasted to win the pennant by three games. The [[St. Louis Cardinals]] had won the National League with the lowest winning percentage for a pennant winner to that point (.578) and the Yankees were expected to win the [[1926 World Series|World Series]] easily.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=304–305}}</ref> Although the Yankees won the opener in New York, St. Louis took Games Two and Three. In Game Four, Ruth hit three home runs—the first time this had been done in a World Series game—to lead the Yankees to victory. In the fifth game, Ruth caught a ball as he crashed into the fence. The play was described by baseball writers as a defensive gem. New York took that game, but [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]] won Game Six for St. Louis to tie the Series at three games each, then got very drunk. He was nevertheless inserted into Game Seven in the seventh inning and shut down the Yankees to win the game, 3–2, and win the Series.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=154–155}}</ref> Ruth had hit his fourth home run of the Series earlier in the game and was the only Yankee to reach base off Alexander; he walked in the ninth inning before being thrown out to end the game when he attempted to steal second base. Although Ruth's attempt to steal second is often deemed a baserunning blunder, Creamer pointed out that the Yankees' chances of tying the game would have been greatly improved with a runner in scoring position.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=306}}</ref>
▲[[File:Babecomeshome-poster-1927.jpg|upright|thumb|Ruth took time off in 1927 to star with [[Anna Q. Nilsson]] in this [[First National Pictures|First National]] [[silent film|silent]] production ''[[Babe Comes Home]]''. This film is now [[lost film|lost]]. ]]
The 1926 World Series was also known for Ruth's promise to [[Johnny Sylvester]], a hospitalized 11-year-old boy. Ruth promised the child that he would hit a home run on his behalf. Sylvester had been injured in a fall from a horse, and a friend of Sylvester's father gave the boy two autographed baseballs signed by Yankees and Cardinals. The friend relayed a promise from Ruth (who did not know the boy) that he would hit a home run for him. After the Series, Ruth visited the boy in the hospital. When the matter became public, the press greatly inflated it, and by some accounts, Ruth allegedly saved the boy's life by visiting him, emotionally promising to hit a home run, and doing so.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=327–328}}</ref> Ruth's 1926 salary of $52,000 was far more than any other baseball player, but he made at least twice as much in other income, including $100,000 from 12 weeks of [[vaudeville]].{{r|menand20200525}}
The 1927 New York Yankees team is considered one of the greatest squads to ever take the field. Known as [[Murderers' Row]] because of the power of its lineup,<ref>{{harvp|Stout|2002|pp=126–131}}</ref> the team clinched first place on Labor Day, won a then-AL-record 110 games and took the AL pennant by 19 games.<ref>{{harvp|Graham|1943|pp=127–134}}</ref> There was no suspense in the pennant race, and the nation turned its attention to Ruth's pursuit of his own single-season home run record of 59 round trippers. Ruth was not alone in this chase. Teammate Lou Gehrig proved to be a slugger who was capable of challenging Ruth for his home run crown; he tied Ruth with 24 home runs late in June. Through July and August, the dynamic duo was never separated by more than two home runs. Gehrig took the lead, 45–44, in the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park early in September; Ruth responded with two blasts of his own to take the lead, as it proved permanently—Gehrig finished with 47. Even so, as of September 6, Ruth was still several games off his 1921 pace, and going into the final series against the Senators, had only 57. He hit two in the first game of the series, including one off of [[Paul Hopkins (baseball)|Paul Hopkins]], facing his first major league batter, to tie the record. The following day, September 30, he broke it with his 60th homer, in the eighth inning off [[Tom Zachary]] to break a 2–2 tie. "Sixty! Let's see some son of a bitch try to top that one", Ruth exulted after the game.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=255–261}}</ref> In addition to his career-high 60 home runs, Ruth batted .356, drove in 164 runs and slugged .772.<ref name = "stats" /> In the [[1927 World Series]], the Yankees swept the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in four games; the National Leaguers were disheartened after watching the Yankees take batting practice before Game One, with ball after ball leaving [[Forbes Field]].<ref>{{harvp|Graham|1943|pp=134–137}}</ref> According to Appel, "The 1927 New York Yankees. Even today, the words inspire awe{{nbsp}}... all baseball success is measured against the '27 team."<ref>{{harvp|Appel|2012|p=151}}</ref>
[[File:1928 Gehrig Speaker Cobb Ruth.jpg|thumb
The following season started off well for the Yankees, who led the league in the early going. But the Yankees were plagued by injuries, erratic pitching and inconsistent play. The [[Philadelphia Athletics]], rebuilding after some lean years, erased the Yankees' big lead and even took over first place briefly in early September. The Yankees, however, regained first place when they beat the Athletics three out of four games in a pivotal series at Yankee Stadium later that month, and clinched the pennant in the final weekend of the season.<ref>{{harvp|Graham|1943|pp=144–146}}</ref> Ruth's play in 1928 mirrored his team's performance. He got off to a hot start and on August 1, he had 42 home runs. This put him ahead of his 60 home run pace from the previous season. He then slumped for the latter part of the season, and he hit just twelve home runs in the last two months. Ruth's batting average also fell to .323, well below his career average. Nevertheless, he ended the season with 54 home runs. The Yankees swept the favored Cardinals in four games in the [[1928 World Series|World Series]], with Ruth batting .625 and hitting three home runs in Game Four, including one off Alexander.<ref name = "stats" /><ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=273–277}}</ref>
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Although the Yankees started well, the Athletics soon proved they were the better team in 1929, splitting two series with the Yankees in the first month of the season, then taking advantage of a Yankee losing streak in mid-May to gain first place. Although Ruth performed well, the Yankees were not able to catch the Athletics—Connie Mack had built another great team.<ref>{{harvp|Stout|2002|pp=140–141}}</ref> Tragedy struck the Yankees late in the year as manager Huggins died at 51 of [[erysipelas]], a bacterial skin infection, on September 25, only ten days after he had last directed the team. Despite their past differences, Ruth praised Huggins and described him as a "great guy".<ref>{{harvp|Appel|2012|pp=164–165}}</ref> The Yankees finished second, 18 games behind the Athletics.<ref name="s461"/> Ruth hit .345 during the season, with 46 home runs and 154 RBIs.<ref name = "stats" />
{{quote box
| align = right
| width = 24em
| salign = right
| quote = A few seasons ago I used a 54 ounce bat, long and with the weight well at the end. Now I'm using a 46 ounce club--and each season when I have a new set of bats made, I have an additional ounce taken off.
| source = Ruth in ''Babe Ruth's Own Book of Baseball'' (1928), p. 171}}
On October 17, the Yankees hired [[Bob Shawkey]] as manager; he was their fourth choice.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ocdKAAAAIBAJ&pg=948%2C6044172 |title=Bob Shawkey Is Named Manager of the Yankees: Veteran Pitcher Gets Job When Fletcher Prefers to Remain as Coach of Club; Appointment of Shawkey Comes as Surprise in Baseball Circles, Where Three Others Were Predicted |last=Chipman |first=William J. |date=October 18, 1929 |work=The Schenectady Gazette |access-date=November 23, 2016 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328063621/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ocdKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xegMAAAAIBAJ&pg=948%2C6044172 |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ruth had politicked for the job of player-manager, but Ruppert and Barrow never seriously considered him for the position. Stout deemed this the first hint Ruth would have no future with the Yankees once he retired as a player.<ref>{{harvp|Stout|2002|p=143}}</ref> Shawkey, a former Yankees player and teammate of Ruth, would prove unable to command Ruth's respect.<ref name=GS144>{{harvp|Stout|2002|p=144}}</ref>
On January 7, 1930, salary negotiations between the Yankees and Ruth quickly broke down. Having just concluded a three-year contract at an annual salary of $70,000, Ruth promptly rejected both the Yankees' initial proposal of $70,000 for one year and their 'final' offer of two years at seventy-five—the latter figure equaling the annual salary of then US President [[Herbert Hoover]]; instead, Ruth demanded at least $85,000 and three years.<ref name="BRPrezQuote">{{Cite news |url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/mbioqflkxsmp4cb/Vidmer%2C%20Richards.%20Yanks%20Refuse%20Ruth%27s%20Demand%20for%20a%20Hundred%20Thousand.%20The%20New%20York%20Herald%20Tribune.%20Wednesday%2C%20January%208%2C%201930..jpg |title=Yanks Refuse Ruth's Demand For $100,000; Star Asks That Figure On 3-Year Contract or $85,000 and No Exhibitions |last=Vidmer |first=Richards |date=January 8, 1930 |work=The New York Herald Tribune |access-date=November 23, 2016 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726124340/http://www.mediafire.com/view/mbioqflkxsmp4cb/Vidmer%2C%20Richards.%20Yanks%20Refuse%20Ruth%27s%20Demand%20for%20a%20Hundred%20Thousand.%20The%20New%20York%20Herald%20Tribune.%20Wednesday%2C%20January%208%2C%201930..jpg |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7SpPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6185%2C2468109 |title=Babe Ruth Refuses to Sign $75,000 Contract: Asks for Long Term Contract at Huge Figure |last=Bell |first=Brian |date=January 8, 1930 |work=The St. Petersburg Times |access-date=November 23, 2016 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328055401/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7SpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=400DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6185%2C2468109 |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/7ae5q7cdyiuqdv0/Reuters.%20Baseball%E2%80%94Babe%20Ruth%27s%20Earnings.%20The%20Scotsman.%20January%208%2C%201930.jpg|title=Baseball: Babe Ruth's Earnings|work=The Scotsman|agency=Reuters|date=January 8, 1930|access-date=November 23, 2016|archive-date=July 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726122429/http://www.mediafire.com/view/7ae5q7cdyiuqdv0/Reuters.%20Baseball%E2%80%94Babe%20Ruth%27s%20Earnings.%20The%20Scotsman.%20January%208%2C%201930.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> When asked why he thought he was "worth more than the President of the United States," Ruth responded: "Say, if I hadn't been sick last summer, I'd have broken hell out of that home run record! Besides, the President gets a four-year contract. I'm only asking for three."<ref name="BRPrezQuote" /> Exactly two months later, a compromise was reached, with Ruth settling for two years at an unprecedented $80,000 per year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19300308&printsec=frontpage|title=Ruth Accepts $80,000 Contract|work=The Pittsburgh Press|author=United Press|date=March 8, 1930|access-date=November 23, 2016|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224232216/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19300308&printsec=frontpage|url-status=live}}</ref> Ruth's salary was more than 2.4 times greater than the next-highest salary that season, a record margin {{
In 1930, Ruth hit .359 with 49 home runs (his best in his years after 1928) and 153 RBIs, and pitched his first game in nine years, a complete game victory.<ref name = "stats" /> Nevertheless, the Athletics won their second consecutive pennant and [[1930 World Series|World Series]], as the Yankees finished in third place, sixteen games back.<ref name=GS144/> At the end of the season, Shawkey was fired and replaced with Cubs manager [[Joe McCarthy (baseball manager)|Joe McCarthy]], though Ruth again unsuccessfully sought the job.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=303}}</ref>
McCarthy was a disciplinarian, but chose not to interfere with Ruth, who did not seek conflict with the manager.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=304}}</ref> The team improved in 1931, but was no match for the Athletics, who won 107 games, {{frac|13|1|2}} games in front of the Yankees.<ref name = "s148">{{harvp|Stout|2002|p=148}}</ref> Ruth, for his part, hit .373, with 46 home runs and 163 RBIs. He had 31 doubles, his most since 1924.<ref name = "stats" /> In the 1932 season, the Yankees went 107–47 and won the pennant.<ref name = "s148" /> Ruth's effectiveness had decreased somewhat, but he still hit .341 with 41 home runs and 137 RBIs.<ref name = "stats" /> Nevertheless, he was sidelined twice because of injuries during the season.<ref>{{harvp|Sherman|2014|p=41}}</ref>
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While the barnstorming tour was underway, Ruppert began negotiating with Boston Braves owner Judge [[Emil Fuchs (baseball)|Emil Fuchs]], who wanted Ruth as a gate attraction. The Braves had enjoyed modest recent success, finishing fourth in the National League in both 1933 and 1934, but the team drew poorly at the box office. Unable to afford the rent at [[Braves Field]], Fuchs had considered holding dog races there when the Braves were not at home, only to be turned down by Landis. After a series of phone calls, letters, and meetings, the Yankees traded Ruth to the Braves on February 26, 1935. Ruppert had stated that he would not release Ruth to go to another team as a full-time player. For this reason, it was announced that Ruth would become a team vice president and would be consulted on all club transactions, in addition to playing. He was also made assistant manager to Braves skipper [[Bill McKechnie]]. In a long letter to Ruth a few days before the press conference, Fuchs promised Ruth a share in the Braves' profits, with the possibility of becoming co-owner of the team. Fuchs also raised the possibility of Ruth succeeding McKechnie as manager, perhaps as early as 1936. Ruppert called the deal "the greatest opportunity Ruth ever had".<ref>{{harvp|Neyer|2000|pp=42–44}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=337–339}}</ref>
There was considerable attention as Ruth reported for spring training. He did not hit his first home run of the spring until after the team had left Florida, and was beginning the road north in Savannah. He hit two in an exhibition game against the Bears.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|p=339}}</ref> Amid much press attention, Ruth played his first home game in Boston in over 16 years. Before an opening-day crowd of over 25,000, including five of New England's six state governors, Ruth accounted for all the Braves' runs in a 4–2
Ruth had two hits in the second game of the season, but it quickly went downhill both for him and the Braves from there. The season soon settled down to a routine of Ruth performing poorly on the few occasions he even played at all. As April passed into May, Ruth's physical deterioration became even more pronounced. While he remained productive at the plate early on, he could do little else. His conditioning had become so poor that he could barely trot around the bases. He made so many errors that three Braves pitchers told McKechnie they would not take the mound if he was in the lineup. Before long, Ruth stopped hitting as well. He grew increasingly annoyed that McKechnie ignored most of his advice. McKechnie later said that Ruth's presence made enforcing discipline nearly impossible.<ref>{{harvp|Neyer|2000|pp=43–45}}</ref>
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Ruth played in the third game of the Pittsburgh series on May 25, 1935, and added one more tale to his playing legend. Ruth went 4-for-4, including three home runs, though the Braves lost the game 11–7. The last two were off Ruth's old Cubs nemesis, Guy Bush. The final home run, both of the game and of Ruth's career, sailed out of the park over the right field upper deck–the first time anyone had hit a fair ball completely out of Forbes Field. Ruth was urged to make this his last game, but he had given his word to Fuchs and played in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The first game of the doubleheader in Philadelphia—the Braves lost both—was his final major league appearance. Ruth retired on June 2 after an argument with Fuchs. He finished 1935 with a .181 average—easily his worst as a full-time position player—and the final six of his 714 home runs. The Braves, 10–27 when Ruth left, finished 38–115, at .248 the worst winning percentage in modern National League history.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=396–400}}</ref> Insolvent like his team, Fuchs gave up control of the Braves before the end of the season; the National League took over the franchise at the end of the year.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=344}}</ref>
==Retirement==
[[File:The Pride of the Yankees2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gary Cooper]] and Ruth in the 1942 film ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'']]
Although Fuchs had given Ruth his unconditional release, no major league team expressed an interest in hiring him in any capacity. Ruth still hoped to be hired as a manager if he could not play anymore, but only one managerial position, Cleveland, became available between Ruth's retirement and the end of the 1937 season. Asked if he had considered Ruth for the job, Indians owner [[Alva Bradley]] replied negatively.<ref name = "c399a" /> Of the five members in the inaugural class of Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 ([[Ty Cobb]], [[Honus Wagner]], [[Christy Mathewson]], [[Walter Johnson]] and Ruth), only Ruth was not given an offer to manage a baseball team.<ref name=":1" /> Team owners and general managers assessed Ruth's flamboyant personal habits as a reason to exclude him from a managerial job; Barrow said of him, "How can he manage other men when he can't even manage himself?"<ref name="99facts" /> Creamer believed Ruth was unfairly treated in never being given an opportunity to manage a major league club. The author believed there was not necessarily a relationship between personal conduct and managerial success, noting that [[John McGraw]], [[Billy Martin]], and [[Bobby Valentine]] were winners despite character flaws.<ref>{{harvp|Sherman|2014|p=17}}</ref>
Ruth played much golf and in a few exhibition baseball games, where he demonstrated a continuing ability to draw large crowds. This appeal contributed to the Dodgers hiring him as first base coach in 1938. When Ruth was hired, Brooklyn general manager [[Larry MacPhail]] made it clear that Ruth would not be considered for the manager's job if, as expected, [[Burleigh Grimes]] retired at the end of the season. Although much was said about what Ruth could teach the younger players, in practice, his duties were to appear on the field in uniform and encourage base runners—he was not called upon to relay signs. In August, shortly before the baseball rosters expanded, Ruth sought an opportunity to return as an active player in a pinch hitting role. Ruth often took batting practice before games and felt that he could take on the limited role. Grimes denied his request, citing Ruth's poor vision in his right eye, his inability to run the bases, and the risk of an injury to Ruth.<ref name=Pinch>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/01/sports/babe-ruth-fat-and-43-and-never-to-play-ball-again.html |title= Babe Ruth: Fat and 43 and Never to Play Ball Again |author= Herb Goren |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= September 1, 1985 |access-date= August 12, 2021 |archive-date= August 12, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210812140402/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/01/sports/babe-ruth-fat-and-43-and-never-to-play-ball-again.html |url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=NYDNPinch>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/421909816 |title=Grimes Vetoes Ruth's Comeback |author=Hy Turkin |work=New York Daily News |date=September 1, 1938 |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812142259/http://www.newspapers.com/image/421909816/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
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Ruth got along well with everyone except team captain [[Leo Durocher]], who was hired as Grimes' replacement at season's end. Ruth then left his job as a first base coach and would never again work in any capacity in the game of baseball.<ref name = "c399a">{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=399–405}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McMurray |first=John |title=Babe Ruth, Brooklyn Dodgers Coach |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/babe-ruth-brooklyn-dodgers-coach-4/#:~:text=Of%20all%20the%20facets%20of,seldom%20make%20an%20obvious%20imprint. |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |year=2015 |access-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525200823/https://sabr.org/journal/article/babe-ruth-brooklyn-dodgers-coach-4/#:~:text=Of%20all%20the%20facets%20of,seldom%20make%20an%20obvious%20imprint. |url-status=live}}</ref>
On July 4, 1939, Ruth spoke on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium as members of the 1927 Yankees and a sellout crowd turned out to honor the first baseman, who was forced into premature retirement by [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|ALS]], which would kill him two years later. The next week, Ruth went to [[Cooperstown, New York]], for the formal opening of the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]. Three years earlier, he was one of the [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1936|first five players]] elected to the hall. As radio broadcasts of baseball games became popular, Ruth sought a job in that field, arguing that his celebrity and knowledge of baseball would assure large audiences, but he received no offers.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=247–249}}</ref> During World War II, he made many personal appearances to advance the war effort, including his last appearance as a player at Yankee Stadium, in a 1943 exhibition for the Army-Navy Relief Fund. He hit a long fly ball off Walter Johnson; the blast left the field, curving foul, but Ruth circled the bases anyway. In 1946, he made a final effort to gain a job in baseball when he contacted new Yankees boss MacPhail, but he was sent a rejection letter.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=355–356}}</ref> In [[SportsCentury|1999]], Ruth's granddaughter, Linda Tosetti, and his
Ruth started playing golf when he was 20 and continued playing the game throughout his life.<ref name="golfer"/> His appearance at many New York courses drew spectators and headlines. [[Rye Golf Club]] was among the courses he played with teammate [[Lyn Lary]] in June 1933. With birdies on 3 holes, Ruth posted the best score.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ruth Cards 75 at Rye|date=June 8, 1933|work=The New York Times| location= New York|page=25}}</ref> In retirement, he became one of the first celebrity golfers participating in charity tournaments, including one where he was pitted against Ty Cobb.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ruth On Spot in Golf Match|date=June 27, 1941|work=The New York Sun|page=25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Long Island Wins Inter-Sectional Golf Match at Apawamis|date=May 12, 1939|work=The Rye Chronicle|page=13}}</ref><ref name="golfer">{{Cite web|url=https://golf.com/news/babe-ruth-was-once-americas-most-famous-golfer|magazine=Golf Magazine|title=Babe Ruth Was Once America's Most Famous Golfer|first=Kevin|last=Cook|date=March 16, 2015|accessdate=December 12, 2021|archive-date=December 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212120556/https://golf.com/news/babe-ruth-was-once-americas-most-famous-golfer/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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==Personal life==
[[File:1915 Babe Ruth and Helen Woodford (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Ruth and his first wife, Helen Woodford, 1915]]
Ruth met [[Helen Woodford
On April 17, 1929, three months after the death of his first wife, Ruth married actress and model [[Claire Merritt Hodgson]]
By one account, Julia and Dorothy were, through no fault of their own, the reason for the seven-year rift in Ruth's relationship with teammate Lou Gehrig. Sometime in 1932, during a conversation that she assumed was private, Gehrig's mother remarked, "It's a shame [Claire] doesn't dress Dorothy as nicely as she dresses her own daughter." When the comment got back to Ruth, he angrily told Gehrig to tell his mother to mind her own business. Gehrig, in turn, took offense at what he perceived as Ruth's comment about his mother. The two men reportedly never spoke off the field until they reconciled at Yankee Stadium on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, July 4, 1939, shortly after Gehrig's retirement from baseball.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|p=415}}</ref>
Although Ruth was married throughout most of his baseball career, when team co-owner [[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston|Tillinghast 'Cap' Huston]] asked him to tone down his lifestyle, Ruth replied, "I'll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They're too much fun."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYY6LBA_DUwC|page=158|title=Baseball As I Have Known It|first=Fred|last=Lieb|publisher=Cowar, McCann and Geoghagen|location=New York|year=1977|isbn=978-0-8032-7962-9|access-date=November 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510232217/https://books.google.com/books?id=iYY6LBA_DUwC|archive-date=May 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A detective that the Yankees hired to follow him one night in Chicago reported that Ruth had been with six women. [[Ping Bodie]] said that he was not Ruth's roommate while traveling; "I room with his suitcase".<ref name="menand20200525">{{Cite magazine |last=Menand |first=Louis |date=May 25, 2020 |title=How Baseball Players Became Celebrities |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/01/how-baseball-players-became-celebrities |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110022815/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/01/how-baseball-players-became-celebrities |url-status=live}}</ref> Before the start of the 1922 season, Ruth had signed a three-year contract at $52,000 per year with an option to renew for two additional years. His performance during the 1922 season had been disappointing, attributed in part to his drinking and late-night hours. After the end of the 1922 season, he was asked to sign a contract addendum with a [[morals clause]]. Ruth and Ruppert signed it on November 11, 1922. It called for Ruth to abstain entirely from the use of intoxicating liquors, and to not stay up later than 1:00 a.m. during the training and playing season without permission of the manager. Ruth was also enjoined from any action or misbehavior that would compromise his ability to play baseball.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball/1922-babe-ruth-signed-contract-addendum-limiting-his-drinking-late-nights-i-ll-promise-to-go-easier-on-drinking-an/a/707-19090.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515 |title=1922 Babe Ruth Signed Contract Addendum Limiting His Drinking, Late Nights |page=5 |website=Heritage Auctions logo The World's Largest Collectibles Auctioneer |access-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919233936/http://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball/1922-babe-ruth-signed-contract-addendum-limiting-his-drinking-late-nights-i-ll-promise-to-go-easier-on-drinking-an/a/707-19090.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515 |archive-date=September 19, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Ruth was a self described [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/upshot/presidents-who-knew-the-babe.html|title=Presidents Who Knew the Babe|first=Michael|last=Beschloss|publisher=New York Times|date=April 11, 2015|accessdate=October 27, 2024}}</ref> In 1928, Ruth campaigned for Democratic U.S. Presidential nominee [[Al Smith]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/sports-and-identity-politics|title=Babe Ruth Gets Political: Sports and Identity Politics in the Roaring Twenties|publisher=New York State Museum}}</ref>
==Cancer and death (1946–1948)==
{{Main|Death and funeral of Babe Ruth}}
{{MLBBioRet
|Image = BabeRuth3.jpg
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|Year = 1948
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As early as the war years, doctors had cautioned Ruth to take better care of his health, and he grudgingly followed their advice, limiting his drinking and not going on a proposed trip to support the troops in the South Pacific.<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=252–253}}</ref> In 1946, Ruth began experiencing severe pain over his left eye and had difficulty swallowing. In November 1946, Ruth entered [[French Hospital (Manhattan)|French Hospital]] in New York for tests, which revealed that he had an inoperable [[cancer|malignant tumor]] at the base of his skull and in his neck. The malady was a lesion known as [[nasopharyngeal carcinoma]], or "lymphoepithelioma".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Maloney |first1=William James |last2=Weinberg |first2=Mea A. |date=July 2008 |title=A comprehensive analysis of Babe Ruth's head and neck cancer |journal=Journal of the American Dental Association |volume=139 |issue=7 |pages=926–932 |issn=0002-8177 |pmid=18594078 |doi=10.14219/jada.archive.2008.0279}}</ref> A physician who reviewed Ruth's autopsy in 1998 concluded that Ruth's lifelong use of tobacco "probably played a part" in his cancer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/29/science/the-doctor-s-world-ruth-s-other-record-cancer-pioneer.html|title=The Doctor's World; Ruth's Other Record: Cancer Pioneer|first=Lawrence K.|last=Altman|work=The New York Times|date=December 29, 1998|page=F1}}</ref> His name and fame gave him access to experimental treatments, and he was one of the first cancer patients to receive both drugs and radiation treatment simultaneously.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=357–358}}</ref> Having lost {{convert|80|lb}}, he was discharged from the hospital in February and went to Florida to recuperate. He returned to New York and Yankee Stadium after the season started. The new commissioner, [[Happy Chandler]] (Judge Landis had died in 1944), proclaimed April 27, 1947, Babe Ruth Day around the major leagues, with the most significant observance to be at Yankee Stadium. A number of teammates and others spoke in honor of Ruth, who briefly addressed the crowd of almost 60,000.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=418–419}}</ref> By then, his voice was a soft whisper with a very low, raspy tone.<ref name=":1" />
Around this time, developments in [[chemotherapy]] offered some hope for Ruth. The doctors had not told Ruth he had cancer because of his family's fear that he might do himself harm. They treated him with pterolyl triglutamate (Teropterin), a [[folic acid]] derivative; he may have been the first human subject.<ref name = "montville360" /> Ruth showed dramatic improvement during the summer of 1947, so much so that his case was presented by his doctors at a scientific meeting, without using his name. He was able to travel around the country, doing promotional work for the Ford Motor Company on [[American Legion Baseball]]. He appeared again at another day in his honor at Yankee Stadium in September, but was not well enough to pitch in an old-timers game as he had hoped.<ref name = "montville360">{{harvp|Montville|2006|p=360}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=418–420}}</ref>
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The improvement was only a temporary remission, and by late 1947, Ruth was unable to help with the writing of his autobiography, ''The Babe Ruth Story'', which was almost entirely ghostwritten. In and out of the hospital in Manhattan, he left for Florida in February 1948, doing what activities he could. After six weeks he returned to New York to appear at a book-signing party. He also traveled to California to witness the filming of the movie based on the book.<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=361–362}}</ref>
[[File:Babe Ruth Bows Out.jpg
On June 5, 1948, a "gaunt and hollowed-out" Ruth visited [[Yale University]] to donate a manuscript of ''The Babe Ruth Story'' to its library.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20120919/new-haven-200-babe-ruth-meets-future-president-george-hw-bush-in-1948-at-yale-field|title=New Haven 200: Babe Ruth meets future President George H.W. Bush in 1948 at Yale Field|newspaper=New Haven Register|date=September 19, 2012|access-date=November 20, 2013|first=Chip|last=Malafronte|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212063150/http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20120919/new-haven-200-babe-ruth-meets-future-president-george-hw-bush-in-1948-at-yale-field|archive-date=December 12, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> At Yale, he met with future president [[George H. W. Bush]], who was the captain of the [[Yale Bulldogs baseball|Yale baseball team]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/06/babe-ruth-met-future-president-george-h-w-bush-in-1948|title=Babe Ruth met future President George H.W. Bush in 1948|newspaper=USA Today|date=June 3, 2013|access-date=June 3, 2018|first=Ted|last=Berg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612113017/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/06/babe-ruth-met-future-president-george-h-w-bush-in-1948|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 13, Ruth visited Yankee Stadium for the final time in his life, appearing at the 25th-anniversary celebrations of "The House that Ruth Built". By this time he had lost much weight and had difficulty walking. Introduced along with his surviving teammates from 1923, Ruth used a bat as a cane. [[Nat Fein]]'s photo of Ruth taken from behind, standing near home plate and facing "Ruthville" (right field) became one of baseball's most famous and widely circulated photographs, and won the [[Pulitzer Prize]].<ref>{{harvp|Wagenheim|1974|pp=267–268}}</ref>
Ruth made one final trip on behalf of American Legion Baseball. He then entered [[Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center|Memorial Hospital]], where he would die. He was never told he had cancer; however, before his death, he surmised it. He was able to leave the hospital for a few short trips, including a final visit to [[Baltimore]]. On July 26, 1948, Ruth left the hospital to attend the premiere of the film ''[[The Babe Ruth Story]]''. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the hospital for the final time. He was barely able to speak. Ruth's condition gradually grew worse, and only a few visitors were permitted to see him, one of whom was [[National League (baseball)|National League]] president and future [[Commissioner of Baseball]] [[Ford C. Frick]]. "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.<ref>{{harvp|Creamer|1992|pp=423–424}}</ref>
Thousands of New Yorkers, including many children, stood vigil outside the hospital during Ruth's final days. On August 16, 1948, at 8:01 p.m., Ruth died in his sleep at the age of 53. His funeral service took place over three days.<ref name="Syken">{{cite magazine |last1=Syken |first1=Bill |title=Bye Bye, Bambino: The Funeral of Babe Ruth |url=https://www.life.com/history/bye-bye-bambino-the-funeral-of-babe-ruth/ |access-date=February 7, 2024 |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=September 23, 2022}}</ref> His open casket was placed on display in the rotunda of Yankee Stadium, where it remained for two days; 77,000 people filed past to pay him tribute. His [[Requiem Mass]] was celebrated by [[Francis Spellman|Francis Cardinal Spellman]] at [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York)|St. Patrick's Cathedral]]; a crowd estimated at 75,000 waited outside. Ruth is buried with his second wife, Claire, on a hillside in Section 25 at the [[Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)|Gate of Heaven Cemetery]] in [[Hawthorne, New York]].<ref>{{harvp|Montville|2006|pp=366–367}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Reisler|first=Jim|date=August 9, 1998|title=After 50 Years, Ruth Still Stars|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/09/nyregion/after-50-years-ruth-still-stars.html|access-date=January 15, 2022|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116013707/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/09/nyregion/after-50-years-ruth-still-stars.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Memorial and museum==
[[File:RuthMonument.jpg|thumb|right|Tribute to Babe Ruth, Monument Park, as seen at the original Yankee Stadium]]
On April 19, 1949, the Yankees unveiled a granite monument in Ruth's honor in center field of Yankee Stadium.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LswKAAAAIBAJ&pg=3655,6203626|title=Six Home Teams Score Victories in Opener|first=Ralph|last=Roden|work=St. Petersburg Times|page=8|date=April 20, 1949|access-date=September 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208064607/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LswKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3655,6203626|archive-date=December 8, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The monument was located [[ground rules|in the field of play]] next to a flagpole and similar tributes to Huggins and Gehrig until the stadium was remodeled from 1974 to 1975, which resulted in the outfield fences moving inward and enclosing the monuments from the playing field. This area was known thereafter as [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]. Yankee Stadium, "the House that Ruth Built", was replaced after the 2008 season with a new [[Yankee Stadium]] across the street from the old one; Monument Park was subsequently moved to the new venue behind the center field fence. Ruth's uniform number 3 has been [[List of Major League Baseball retired numbers|retired]] by the Yankees, and he is one of five Yankees players or managers to have a granite monument within the stadium.<ref name="retired number">{{cite web|title=Retired numbers|publisher=New York Yankees|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/history/retired_numbers.jsp|access-date=February 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201050802/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/history/retired_numbers.jsp|archive-date=February 1, 2013|url-status=
In 1974, Ruth's
==Impact==
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[[File:Claire Ruth.jpg|thumb|The unveiling of a Babe Ruth memorial plaque in Baltimore's old [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] in 1955 with Claire Ruth, his widow, present.]]
Creamer describes Ruth as "a unique figure in the social history of the United States".<ref name = "c16" /> Thomas Barthel describes him as one of the first [[celebrity]] athletes; numerous biographies have portrayed him as "larger than life".<ref>{{cite book |last=Barthel |first=Thomas |title=Babe Ruth and the Creation of the Celebrity Athlete |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, N.C. |isbn=978-1-47-666532-0 |pages=1–2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ia9mDwAAQBAJ&q=%22larger+than+life%22 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820080614/https://books.google.com/books/about/Babe_Ruth_and_the_Creation_of_the_Celebr.html%3Fid%3DIa9mDwAAQBAJ%26q%3D%2522larger%2Bthan%2Blife%2522 |archive-date=August 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2006, Montville stated that more books have been written about Ruth than any other member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. At least five of these books (including Creamer's and Wagenheim's) were written in 1973 and 1974
In various surveys and rankings, Ruth has been named the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1998, ''[[The Sporting News]]'' ranked him number one on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml|title=Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712221219/http://www.cycleback.com/eddiecollins.html|archive-date=July 12, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1999, baseball fans named Ruth to the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]].<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Century Team final voting|publisher=ESPN. Associated Press|date=October 23, 1999|url=https://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/1999/1023/129008.html|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918174445/http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/1999/1023/129008.html|archive-date=September 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball in 1969. The [[Associated Press]] reported in 1993 that [[Muhammad Ali]] was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete in America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 17, 1993 |title=Most Beloved? It's Hamill, Retton – Tyson Most Hated Athlete, According To Poll |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930517&slug=1701669 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |website=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817215440/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930517&slug=1701669 |url-status=live}}</ref> In a 1999 ESPN poll, he was ranked as the second-greatest U.S. athlete of the century, behind [[Michael Jordan]].<ref name="topathlete2">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/athletes.html|title=ESPN: Top North American Athletes of the Century|date=September 14, 1999|work=ESPN SportsCentury|publisher=ESPN.com|access-date=February 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428232905/http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/athletes.html|archive-date=April 28, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, the [[United States Postal Service]] honored Ruth with a twenty-cent stamp.<ref>{{cite web|title=Babe Ruth|url=http://uspsstamps.com/stamps/babe-ruth|publisher=[[United States Postal Service]]|access-date=May 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514014721/http://uspsstamps.com/stamps/babe-ruth|archive-date=May 14, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, ''[[The Sporting News]]'' named Ruth on their "New York Mount Rushmore of Sports".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gatto |first1=Tom |title=New York's Mount Rushmore of Sports: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lawrence Taylor, Walt Frazier voted best of the best |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/new-york-mount-rushmore-sports-babe-ruth-lou-gehrig-lawrence-taylor-walt-frazier/mksx1uyhff2bqshrshfln1qb |work=[[The Sporting News]] |date=August 1, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Babe Ruth Hall of Fame exhibit 2014.jpg|thumb|right|Ruth memorabilia at the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] (2014)]]
One long-term survivor of the craze over Ruth may be the [[Baby Ruth]] candy bar. The original company to market the confectionery, the Curtis Candy Company, maintained that the bar was named after [[Ruth Cleveland]], daughter of former president [[Grover Cleveland]]. She died in 1904 and the bar was first marketed in 1921, at the height of the craze over Ruth.<ref>{{harvp|Smelser|1975|p=208}}</ref> He later sought to market candy bearing his name; he was refused a trademark because of the Baby Ruth bar. Corporate files from 1921 are no longer extant; the brand has changed hands several times and is now owned by [[Ferrara Candy Company]]. The Ruth estate licensed his likeness for use in an advertising campaign for Baby Ruth in 1995. In 2005, the Baby Ruth bar became the official candy bar of Major League Baseball in a marketing arrangement.<ref name="nytimes2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/business/worldbusiness/06iht-web.0606ruth.1900800.html|title=Baseball adopts a candy, whatever it's named for|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|date=June 6, 2006|access-date=February 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601020629/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/business/worldbusiness/06iht-web.0606ruth.1900800.html|archive-date=June 1, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>▼
▲One long-term survivor of the craze over Ruth may be the [[Baby Ruth]] candy bar. The original company to market the confectionery, the Curtis Candy Company, maintained that the bar was named after [[Ruth Cleveland]], daughter of former president [[Grover Cleveland]]. She died in 1904 and the bar was first marketed in 1921, at the height of the craze over Ruth.<ref>{{harvp|Smelser|1975|p=208}}</ref> He later sought to market candy bearing his name; he was refused a trademark because of the Baby Ruth bar
In 2018, President [[Donald Trump]] announced that Ruth, along with [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Antonin Scalia]], would posthumously receive the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]].<ref name="cnn2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/10/politics/trump-presidential-medal-of-freedom/index.html|title=Trump to award Medal of Freedom to Elvis, Babe Ruth, among others|first=Veronica|last=Stracqualursi|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=November 10, 2018|access-date=November 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111013232/https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/10/politics/trump-presidential-medal-of-freedom/index.html|archive-date=November 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Montville describes the continuing relevance of Babe Ruth in American culture, more than three-quarters of a century after he last swung a bat in a major league game:▼
▲In 2018,
{{blockquote|
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| location = New York
| isbn = 978-0-671-76070-0
| url = https://archive.org/details/babelegendcomest00crea_0 <!-- Originally published in 1974. -->
}}
* {{cite book
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==Further reading==
===Books===
* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |last=Stout |first=Glenn |date=2016 |title=The Selling of the Babe: The Deal That Changed Baseball and Created a Legend |url=https://archive.org/details/sellingofbabedea0000stou |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |isbn=978-1-2500-6431-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Stanton |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Stanton (author) |title=Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship |url=https://archive.org/details/tybabebaseballsf00toms |url-access=registration |year=2007 |publisher=St. Martins Publishing |isbn=978-0312382247}}
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==External links==
{{
* {{baseballstats|mlb=121578|espn=27035|br=r/ruthba01|fangraphs=1011327|brm=ruth—002geo|retro=R/Pruthb101}}
* [http://www.baberuth.com/ Official website]
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