Biography of Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth was born in February 6, in 1895 in Baltimore under the name Herman George Ruth Jr. He was born in the family of eight children and survived along with his sister Mamie. His parents, Kate and George Sr. Ruth, worked as labours; hence, he never enjoyed parental support and warm attitude alongside his sister. Being most of the time without parents he did not have parental advice, which made him unruly while causing troubles and skipping school. At age of seven, his parents realized that he was rude and needed a strict environment to guide him. St. Mary’s industrial school for boys was the only available school with stricter environment being an institution run by monks under the leadership of Xaverian Brothers. In St. Marys, Ruth was shaped and provided with a regiment environment that moulded his future. While studying in St. Marys he learned vocational skills and developed love and passion for the game of baseball. Babe Ruth made a significant impression as a sportsman in America in respect to baseball.

Brother Matthias in St. Marys, after realizing Ruth abilities, became his role model and a mentor while assisting him to refine baseball skills. The brother worked with Ruth on pitching skills, fielding, and hitting. When George Jr. became good at playing basketball, brother Thomas invited the owner of Baltimore orioles Mr. Jack Dunn to come and watch the young player. The Baltimore orioles’ owner was impressed and offered George Jr. a contract. After watching his play in 1914, Dunn decided to be his guardian in order he could complete the contract under the agreement. From the responsibility taken by Dunn, the other players referred to him as “newest Babe”, hence the origin of the name. Henceforth, George Jr. was known as the Babe. Through his brilliant performance, the owner of Baltimore orioles sold Babe to Boston Sox. 

Historical Significance

His fame started as a pitcher although he was a powerful slugger. Finalizing the games he played in 1914, Babe appeared in five games for the Red Sox after pitching, four out of the five played in the season . By July 1914, Babe had won his major league debut but due to the loaded roaster, he opted to play in the minor league of Red Sox team. As the team member in the Providence Grays Babe assisted the team and ensured they played in pennant, which was an international league. After this appearance Babe became a permanent fixture in the team hence accumulating 18-8 record with 2.44 as the ERA. In 1916, Ruth lead the league with a 1.75 ERA, and this followed his success during the previous season where he had 23-12 campaign. Before displaying his natural abilities, his enormous power had enabled him to be on daily line up for the game. By 1918, Ruth had been an everyday player and having a lot of fans and followers hence trying for a major league, which enabled him 11 home runs. This allowed Ruth to set a single record in 1919 with 29 dingers. After the record in 1919 season Ruth moved from Boston to New York Yankees. He later became a full time outfielder and this made him a New York Yankee.

After 1919, Babe dominated baseball with scores that had never been witness in the history. His experience in the game changed baseball into high and power scoring game from the previous game of grind. Babe success was also exhibited through the way he scored and he re-wrote the record books to a high batting average from a hitting standpoint accompanied with unbelievable power. Babe broke the most hallowed records, and this was considered as an assault to earlier record breakers. In the year 1920, Babe bested the previous record after belting 54 staggering homeruns. There had been no player who had ever achieved this record since the highest number of home runs had been less than nineteen. No individual apart from one team also had broken this record. Babe made a history in MLB in the year 1921 after blasting a new 59-homerun record. Babe had scored 177 run and drove in 171 RBI, batted .376 and overall .846 slugging percentage which had never been scored. He became an official superstar enjoying popularity surrounded by the baseball professionals. Babe set attendance record and made Yankees to be the most dominant and recognizable team while leading the way in baseball. From his successful career, a new stadium built in 1923 for Yankees was dubbed “the house that Ruth built”.

Babe continued to develop. In 1927, he set another new record of 60 in homerun when he was the member of “Murderer’s Row”. This record stood for thirty-four years since Babe was igniting the greatest and the most valued dynasty in American sport. Before joining Yankees, the team had never won such a title, indeed he assisted the Yankees to capture and defend four World Series titles and seven pennants. In the American history, his  team of 1927 has been always considered the greatest that have ever existed.

Though he faced critics, many people had to admit that Ruth was a great player regarding hits. It was impossible to deny that Ruth’s strength enabled him to remodel the rule of baseball since he made a score every time he stepped up to the plate. The supporters of cob hated Ruth due to the fact that he did not applied science of baseball but his natural ability. Ruth did not require study or scheme, but only strength; hence, he considered that the scientific baseball was unnecessary. His abilities were totally opposite to those of Ty since  Ty applied scientific hitting and his playing techniques while Ruth had never followed any set of rules and had not accepted them. Ruth was known to flout rules and disregard science while using the powers of his unequalled talent. He influenced the system that could later be used in the major leagues and remained a role model as well as a mentor in the sportsmanship of baseball.  He also introduced slugging as a winning strategy pitching old players to relinquish scientific baseball. According to most sportswriters, slugging may not have led to wins, but it ensured that real baseball was in the middle ground accompanied by the batters hence diverting from pure science to a mixture of strength. Aberration was omitted while slugging was accepted as the legitimate tactic of winning.

The influence of Ruth extended beyond his playing times and it was mostly felt by the youngsters. This was evident in the letters he received from the children while he was fighting a losing battle to cancer. For his remembrance of the impact he made on baseball, there are many Babe Ruth leagues across the world since he ensured that baseball would continue being successful even after finishing his career. His home runs symbolically signified man’s triumph over harsh conditions that were experienced in the West. Babe easily conquered the baseball barriers while ensuring that this kind of sport expanded outwards.

To sum up, Babe’s impact on the game of baseball was not only breaking all records, but he also changed old strategies giving way to the new system of winning the game. According to Smith, his one swing of the bat signified a change in playing history of the game and hence proved that science was unnecessary in respect to the current baseball. To appreciate his sterling performance, he was inaugurated as the first inductee of the Baseball Hall Of Fame. At the end of his lifetime career he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1946, and his health deteriorated quickly. He lost the battle with the deadly disease in august 16, 1948.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite sixty years have passed, Ruth remains one of the greatest figures in baseball major leagues in the world. In the American history, Babe has remained as a true sport icon since he helped save the game from a scandal that was associated with the Black Sox. Babe Ruth influenced baseball game in a way that had never been witnessed before, and he continued being the benchmark due to which other upcoming players were valued. He influenced the system that could later be used in the major leagues and remained a role model as well as a mentor in the sportsmanship of baseball while introducing slugging as a winning strategy pitching old players to relinquish scientific baseball. Indeed, Babe Ruth dominated baseball with scores that had never been witness in the history. He is  also known for changing baseball into high and power scoring game from the previous game of grind. Babe’s success remains in the books and will always be associated with the game and how he re-wrote the record books to a high batting average from a hitting standpoint accompanied with unbelievable power. He also remains a hero who proved that everything was possible and only will and power assured prosperity.

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