The name Babe Ruth is known to anyone that has an interest in sport, even if it’s not baseball.
But if most people were asked who is George Herman Ruth the chances are most would have no idea.
Babe Ruth, real name George Herman Ruth was inducted into the Hall of Fame in: 1936.
The team that Babe Ruth played for the primarily was New York Yankees.
His position was Right Fielder
How Babe Ruth Got His Name:
The name Babe Ruth was spawned in 1914 by team mates. It was during Babe’s time while playing
In the minor leagues with Baltimore Orioles that they began to refer to as the owner Jack Dunn’s “New Babe”.
Ruth has been called many things most notably an “American original”, most obviously because he is seen baseball’s first slugger as well as its most celebrated athlete of his time.
Babe Ruths History
The place credited with honing Ruths baseball skills is St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore.
Soon after he was introduced to the big leagues as a lefty hurler playing for the Red Sox.
At the Red Sox, he won 89 games in six years while he was there and also set the World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings.
Ruth was known for having prodigious power which is an what prompted the Yankees to position him outfield after he was sold to the Yankees in 1920
It was during this time that he was instrumental in leading a powerful and renowned New York squad to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles.
Ruths career ended in 1935, after playing a partial season with the Boston Braves. His retirement saw the end of his 22-year big league career.
Interesting Babe Ruth Statistics
Ruth achieved 714 home runs. In the year 1927 he was able get 60 home runs which was an incredible achievement.
Another interesting event that happened to Ruth during his career was being struck out by a 17 year old. But this wasn’t any 17 year old, she, and yes, I said she – was Jackie Mitchell, a southpaw who pitched against the New York Yankees on April 2, 1931.
In fact Mitchell was able to strike out another renowned player, in Lou Gehrig. Both Ruth and Gehrig have been named as the deadliest duo in baseball.
Evidence of this story can be substantiated with the box score that was taken at the time.
The news stories proclaimed Mitchell “organized baseball’s first girl pitcher.”
Babe Ruth Autographed Baseball
Today some of the most expensive memorabilia is available because of the Babe Ruth legacy. The most popular memorabilia being baseball’s.
One notable baseball sale was, one Babe Ruth signed in 1926 for a Johnny Sylvester, an 11 year old boy. The ball was autographed with the words “I’ll knock a homer for Wednesday’s game.”
The result after promising to hit a home run was three home runs in Game 4 of the 1926 World Series.
This signed baseball was sold for for $250,641 by Grey Flannel Auctions on a Thursday night. The by wished to remain anonymous.
Johnny Sylvester was a young boy who was injured after falling of a horse in 1926. The highlight of the story is that Johnny had a sudden recover after the home runs.
Prior to the baseball being sold it was was on loan to the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore for 25 years.
Reasons To Buy An Autographed Baseball
In the the case of Babe Ruth the most obvious reason to have a baseball signed by him is that there are a limited amount available.
This is due to the fact Ruth is no longer alive. Which in turn means the longer you keep the baseball ball, the more it is likely to be worth.
Obviously when buying any type of autographed memorabilia you’ll need to know if the signature(s) are authentic.
Where sports memorabilia is concerned there are a number of organisations that certify signatures. One of the most reputable places is PSA, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA who are a divisions of Collectors Universe, Inc.
When buying autographed memorabilia a seller with certification from PSA, is very credible.
Here are some more autographed baseball memorabilia that has been sold for a lot of money:
Baseball Card
The world’s most valuable sports card was sold for $1.3M, which in fact was considered a steal.
There were 42 bidders in competition to snag the card. Many believe that it was cheap at the Robert Edward Auction. Robert Edwards Auction expected to end in bidding at, at least $1.5M, after bidding started at a promising $100,000, instead the final price was $1.3M.
The card above is known as a “The Oceanside Wagner,” among collectors.
The card is a of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame. The card was previously sold for $791,000, remains in top condition and had only two owners.
Baseball Gloves
Jackie Robinson’s used baseball glove
This baseball glove was worn in the 1955 and ’56 World Series and was sold for $373,002 in an auction.
The auction was held by New York-based Steiner Sports.
Although this glove was expensive it still was sold for more than the last glove Lou Gehrig used, it was sold for $387,500 in the Sotheby’s auction. It was bought by the famous collector Barry Halper in 1999.
