Babe Ruth is one of the best baseball players in the history of the game. He played for the New York Yankees for 15 years from 1919 to 1924.
Childhood and early days of Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth Jr. was born on February 6th, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. His father worked in a saloon that he ran in a tough neighborhood. George was a child that caused way too much trouble. It was hard for his parents to raise him. Eventually, they sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School where he was first introduced to baseball.
At school, George learned many trades like making clothes and carpentry, but the most important skill George learned was how to play baseball. One of the monks at the school got George interested in the game. The monks name was Brother Matthias. Once George became interested in the game, he happened to have a natural talent for it. Before much time passed, he was an excellent player in every position!
George becomes Babe Ruth
The more skilled George became at baseball, the more the monks at the school appreciated and admired his talents. To give him a better chance, the monks invited the owner of the Baltimore Orioles to watch how he played. The owner was impressed and immediately signed George to a contract to play for the Orioles. George was only 19 years old at the time and the other players started to call him “Babe” because of how young he was. This is how he got his famous nickname, “Babe Ruth.”
A professional baseball player
After a while, Babe was sold to the Red Sox where he played as a pitcher. He got his reputation for being the best pitcher in the league. Only two years later, the administration of the Red Sox found that he was even better at hitting and changed his position. His star continued to shine and grow.
In 1919, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. He played for the Yankees for 15 years and won four World Series during that time. In 1927, Babe hit a record of 60 homeruns, which stood until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. At the time of Babe’s retirement in 1936, he held 56 major league records, which propelled Babe to become the most famous baseball player, not just of his time, but in history!
Babe Ruth’s personality
As a child, Babe Ruth was a trouble maker. When he grew up, that didn’t change much! He was a rebellious character, but he was also known for his kind heart and warm personality. He also liked eating very large amounts of food and drinking too much alcohol. Some may argue that this was his way of enjoying life to the fullest, but eventually, this lifestyle harmed him. As he advanced in age, he gained a lot of weight and was not able to play the outfield anymore. In August 1948, Babe Ruth died of cancer after spending his years enjoying life and bringing joy to baseball fans everywhere.
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