Ruth (top row, far left) at St Mary's Industrial School for Boys

Ruth in 1920, the year he joined the Yankees.

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Babe

George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 -- August 16, 1948), also known as "Babe", "The Bambino", "The Sultan of Swat", and "The Colossus of Clout", was an American baseball player. more...

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Ruth, a notable sports figure during the Roaring Twenties, was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ruth accomplished many things during his career. He set the record for home runs in a single season when he hit sixty in 1927. The record stood for 34 years. Ruth was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. He also made the team in 1934. In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth No. 1 in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." In 1999, Ruth was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team by fans.

Early life

Young George attended St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a school run by Roman Catholic brothers. While Ruth was there, a man by the name of Brother Matthias became a figure in his life. Brother Matthias taught Ruth the game of baseball. He worked with Ruth on hitting, fielding and, later, pitching.

In early 1914, a teacher at St. Mary's brought George to the attention of Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles. After watching Ruth pitch, Dunn signed Ruth to a contract and became Ruth's legal guardian When the other players on the Orioles caught sight of Ruth, they nicknamed him "Jack's newest babe." The reference stayed with Ruth the rest of his life as he was most commonly referred to as Babe Ruth from then on.

On July 7, 1914, Dunn offered Ruth, along with Ernie Shore and Ben Egan, to Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics. Dunn asked $10,000 for the trio, but Mack refused the offer. The Cincinnati Reds, who had an agreement with the Orioles, also passed on Ruth. Instead, the team elected to take George Twombley and Claud Derrick.

Two days later, on July 9, 1914, Dunn sold the aforementioned trio to Joe Lannin and the Boston Red Sox. The amount of money exchanged in the transaction is disputed.

Major League Career

The Red Sox years

When Ruth arrived in 1914, the Red Sox had many star players. As such, he was optioned to the minor league Providence Grays of Providence, Rhode Island for part of the season. Behind Ruth and Carl Mays, the Grays won the International League pennant. Ruth appeared in five games for the Red Sox that year, pitching in four of them. He finished the season 2-1 for the major league club. Shortly after the season, Ruth proposed to Helen Woodford, a waitress he met in Boston, and they were married in Baltimore on October 14, 1914.