The Babe’s Brave new world
(Charles Conlon photo)
Among the first of many If-This-Can-Happen-Then-Anything-Can-Happen moments in sports, the New York Yankees 89 years ago today formally release the icon that is Babe Ruth.
At one time, this would be an unthinkable thought.
The Yankees do this, though, so the once-mighty outfielder now with rapidly diminishing skills may sign on the same day with the lowly Boston Braves for $20,000, a cut of the team’s profits and the hope that Ruth might one day replace Bill McKechnie as the team’s manager.
The latter – the thought of eventually becoming a manager – is what intrigues Ruth the most.
Alas for Ruth, he quickly learns that his thinking is not going to become the Braves’ reality as McKechnie – a future Hall of Famer as a manager – is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Ruth, then 40 years old, plays in only 28 games for the Braves in 1935 and totals just 13 hits in 72 at-bats before retiring at the end of May.
He does walk 20 times in his 92 plate appearances with the Braves for a perfectly fine-for-mere-mortals .359 on-base percentage, but hitting not walking always appeals more to Ruth.
Among Ruth’s 13 hits for the Braves are six home runs.
Touching home after hitting No. 714
The last of his 714 career homers – and last of his 2,873 hits – clears the right-field roof at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, capping a Saturday afternoon game in which Ruth hits three homers and drives in six runs during an 11-7 loss to the Pirates.
His final game is played five days later against the Phillies on May 30, 1935 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
Before walking off the field at Baker Bowl after just one inning of his last game, the Hall of Fame-bound Ruth puts together a 22-year career in which hits .342 in 2,503 games with 2,174 runs scored and 2,214 runs batted in.
Of course, there are those aforementioned 714 home runs that remain a record until Atlanta’s Hank Aaron in 1974 hits his 715th on the way to 755 in his Hall of Fame career.
Ruth, of course, knows when the time comes to leave the game.
“All ballplayers,” Ruth says, “should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill.”
Babe Ruth before final game on May 30, 1935 in Philadelphia