Moving on from Boston

Charles Conlon photo

A week after agreeing to the move in private, the Boston Red Sox formally complete a deal 104 years ago today that forever changes baseball's landscape by announcing the sale of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000.

As part of the deal, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee receives a $350,000 loan from the Yankees.

The 24-year-old Ruth is coming off a 1919 season in which he hits a major league-record 29 homers for the Red Sox.

Ruth goes on to even greater success with the Yankees, hitting 659 homers for them over the next 15 seasons, leading them to seven American League pennants and establishing New York as baseball’s preeminent team.

In a totally unrelated matter, the move from 104 years ago today comes only a few weeks after Ruth visits Harrisburg, Pa., where he ventures with friends to Island Park – now known as City Island – to watch Harrisburg Tech’s 1919 football team complete an undefeated, national championship season in which it outscores its 12 opponents 701-0.

That 701-0 is not a typo.

Harrisburg Tech’s vaunted 1919 football team