Today in History : Babe Ruth plays final game in Yankee stadium

Even if someone doesn't like baseball there is an extremely good chance that they have heard of Babe Ruth. His legacy of one of the greats and being largely responsible for popularizing the sport on a national level can not be denied.

This was not the end of Babe's career as he would continue to play for 2 more years, his physical prowess was already diminishing and he was a shadow of his former self from that point forward.

The year was 1934

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Very few people are still alive that actually saw Babe play, but prior to his involvement the game rarely saw someone that hit home runs with any sort of regularity and certainly not someone that was also a pitcher... oh, by the way, did you know that Babe Ruth started his career as a pitcher? Well he was.

He began his career with Baltimore, who were at that time a minor-league team and soon found himself in a rather small role when he was sold to the Boston Red Sox in 1914. He wasn't used all that frequently but he soon established himself as a relatively good pitcher (and was left-handed), as well as a strong fielder and a somewhat dangerous batsman.

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In 1916 Babe pitched in game 2 of the world series. He started the game and pitched the entire thing which went well over the usual 9 innings. When the game was finally won 2-1, Ruth had pitched 14 consecutive innings. This record, which people rarely think of when the name Babe Ruth comes up, remained until 2005. He was considered one of the best pitchers in the league (and remarkably could hit as well.) Despite all of this, the Red Sox decided to sell him to the Yankees in 1920 - which many consider to be the biggest mistake in baseball history and is where the legend of the Curse of the Bambino originates.

The Red Sox, who had won 5 out of 16 World Series, would not win another one until 2004 after selling Babe Ruth.

"Babe" as a Yankee

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It was with the New York Yankees that the batting legend that all baseball fans know the man for began to truly shine. It's almost as though he needed the Yankees for this to happen. It began on May 1st when he hit a home run completely out of the Yankees stadium - a feat that had only been accomplished by one other person before. By then end of may he had set an all-time home-run record in one month. This record was broken, by Babe, in June of the same year.

The home runs just kept coming and along with it the rabid fans turning up to games followed. It is estimated that 15,000 fans were turned away from every home game in New York, and stadiums were selling out with fans in other regions who turned up to see this phenom beat the tar out of their home team.

By 1922 Ruth was being paid $53,000 a year which seems silly now where baseball stars routinely make tens of millions a year, but this was unprecedented at that time.

Baseball was exploding in popularity due, as many would attest, almost exclusively to Babe Ruth. The Yankees decided (or were forced as their lease expired at the stadium they were sharing with the Giants) to build their own stadium in the Bronx in 1922. It was dubbed "The House that Ruth Built" and of course, Babe Ruth was the first person to ever hit a home run there - a process he would repeat many more times over the course of the next 12 years.

The Yankees would win their first ever World Series in their new grounds.

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_{aerial photography was considerably more complicated in the 1920's}

Ruth developed a penchant for boozing and eating in New York and became a bit problematic for the club. Even though he burgeoned up to 260 lbs (120 kg) in 1925 and would no longer play in the field for the most part.

While he got his act together and dropped weight, he relapsed plenty of times. It got to the point where he could still hit the crap out of the ball at home plate, but would be substituted out with a pinch runner (which almost never happens these day) once he got on base.

The squad for the Yankees is considered by many to be one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball history. Dubbed "Murderers Row." Their squad would easily win their division and then swept the World Series in 4 straight games. Babe Ruth hit a career high 60 home runs that season.

The Babe would never see those sorts of numbers again, but he was such an icon that despite his decline in ability, he drew massive crowds everywhere he went. in 1930, Ruth negotiated an $80,000 a year salary for 2 years. He was making more than double the salary of anyone else in the game. He was also making a larger salary than the U.S. President.

By 1934 Babe Ruth's legendary skills had all but dried up. He was still better than most players, but due to years of drinking and not staying in shape he could no longer field or run. His performance of hitting 22 home runs in a season was described as "merely mortal."

He was let go by the Yankees in 1934 and things would get pretty tragic from that point forward.

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Life after the Yankees

He had dreams of being a manager, particularly for the Yankees, but no team was willing to put up with his high-rolling lifestyle and erratic behavior / alcoholism. He briefly played for the Boston Braves and despite an amazing opening game where he scored all the points for the Braves, his performance quickly went to pot. The Braves rarely even had him in the lineup.

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_{He only played 28 games and the Braves finished dead last in the National League}

Ruth decided to quit but the manager convinced him to play just a few more games. On May 25, 1935 he hit a famous home run that sailed entirely out of the park in Pittsburgh, which is a good thing because the man couldn't really run... he more like "hobbled" around the bases. It was the last home run this legend would ever hit. The Babe retired on June 2nd.

His legacy is certainly one of absolute excellence and there is no doubt that he will be remembered forever. His time with the N.Y. Yankees were his best and he solidified himself as a true pioneer of the great game.

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