George Herman Ruth, Jr., also known as Babe Ruth, was a professional baseball player who is credited to have changed the game itself. He was a highly accomplished player who had a long and rich career spanning 22 seasons from 1914 to 1935. He was one of the most productive hitters in baseball history, setting career marks that took years to break.
One of the best players to have ever graced the game, he made baseball highly famous during the era in which he played; he was the reigning star of the sports world throughout the 1920s. Ruth had a natural knack for baseball even as a youngster, and a monk at his school recognised it, inviting Jack Dunn, the Baltimore Orioles’ owner, to watch the boy play. Dunn was impressed and became the boy’s mentor and guardian, signing him to a professional contract. Thus began the epic journey of this great player, and there was no turning back—Ruth would go on to become one of the most admired and revered athletes not only in America, but around the world. He was one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Biography:
Birthdate: Feb 6, 1895 – Aug 16, 1948 (53 years old)
Birthplace: Pigtown
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Childhood & Personal Life:
George Ruth, Sr. and Katherine had eight children, including Ruth. Six of his siblings died as kids, and he only had one surviving sister.
His parents recognised he was growing rowdy as a child and put him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, which was managed by Catholic monks. The school was recognised for maintaining strong order and discipline.
He learned vocational skills such as shirtmaking and carpentry in school. During this time, he realised his talent for baseball.
Brother Matthias, one of the school’s monks, saw the boy’s passion for baseball and helped him improve his batting, fielding, and pitching abilities.
In his personal life Babe Ruth married Helen Woodford in 1914. They had one adopted daughter. But they split up later because he cheated on her. Then, in 1928, he married actress Claire Merritt Hodgson and took her daughter as his own. In 1946, he found out he had an illness that couldn’t be cured. He died in his sleep in 1948.
Net Worth:
Babe Ruth had a net worth of $800,000 at the time of his death. After accounting for inflation, that is equivalent to around $9 million today. Babe Ruth played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons, from 1914 to 1935. He is best known for his four World Series championships with the New York Yankees, and he is regarded as one of baseball’s greatest players of all time.
Babe Ruth’s salary peaked in 1927 at $70,000 per season. He made an additional $90,000 from endorsements. Overall, that’s equivalent to earning roughly $2.5 million per year today after accounting for inflation.
Awards & Honours:
- 2× All-Star (1933, 1934)
- 7× World Series champion (1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932)
- AL MVP (1923)
- 12× AL home run champion (1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931)
- 6× AL RBI champion (1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1926, 1928)
- AL batting champion (1924)
- AL ERA champion (1916)
- Major League Baseball All-Century Team
- Major League Baseball All-Time Team
- League Award (1923)
- Slocum Award (Now: Jack Lang Award) (1931)
- National Baseball Hall of Fame (1936)
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame (1995)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2018)
Fun Facts:
- He made a cameo appearance in the 1928 picture ‘Speedy’.
- In 1998, ‘The Sporting News’ placed him first on its list of ‘Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players’.