This day in sports, August 16: Baseball's home run king is dead

Babe Ruth transformed the game of baseball, ushering in the "live ball era".

Nicknamed "The Babe" early on in his baseball career, Ruth's early success in baseball came as a left-handed pitcher. Originally signed in 1914 by the then minor-league Baltimore Orioles, Ruth quickly made it to the major leagues, sold to the Boston Red Sox in July, 1914.

Ruth had an 89-46 record during his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, participating in three World Series, winning both his starts in the 1918 World Series, and setting a record with a consecutive scoreless inning streak of 29? innings, a record that stood until Whitey Ford broke it in 1961.

Ruth was also famous for another historic pitching event.

On June 23, 1917 against the Washington Senators, after walking the leadoff hitter, Ruth exploded in anger, and threw a punch at the umpire, which resulted in a ten-game suspension. Ernie Shore came into the game in relief, the baserunner was out stealing, and Shore retired all twenty-six batters he faced, for which he was credited with a perfect game until the 1990s.

During his time with the Red Sox, Ruth also flashed his skills as a hitter, leading the league in 1918 with eleven home runs, and again with 29 homers in 1919. By 1919, he was regarded more for his power hitting than for his pitching prowess.

In December, 1919, Harry Frazee, then owner of the Boston Red Sox, sold Babe Ruth to the American League rival New York Yankees for $125,000 and three notes for $25,000, to be paid in the subsequent three years.

This act forever marked Frazee's legacy as a pariah in the eyes of the vast majority of Boston fans.

For the following 14 seasons, Ruth turned the then-mediocre Yankees into perennial American League pennant favorites, and would lead the Yankees to the first four of their 27 World Series titles.

In 1927, Ruth set the all-time single season home run record with 60, a record that stood until fellow Yankee Roger Maris eclipsed it in 1961 with 61.

Ruth was traded by the Yankees to the Boston Braves in February, 1935. Ruth would only appear in 28 games that season, hitting his last home run on May 25 (he hit three that day). He officially retired from baseball two days later.

Ruth set all-time records that still stand today. First in all-time slugging percentage (.690), OPS (1.164), single season home run leader (12 times), and single season RBI leader (six times).

The year after Ruth's retirement in 1936, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming one of the first five players to achieve that honor.

In Ruth's post-playing days, he remained close to the game, becoming director of the American Legion's youth baseball program in 1947.

In November, 1946, it was discovered that Ruth had a malignant tumor in his neck. Although he attacked the disease with relish, and was briefly proclaimed cancer-free for a short period of time, the cancer returned.

On August 16, 1948, Ruth passed away. The official cause of death was pneumonia, however it was later learned that he indeed had nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPCA), which ultimately led to his death.

Ruth's impact on baseball still commands attention today. He is still regarded in many circles as the greatest player who ever lived, and is still one of the most recognizable names in all of sports.

The sport of baseball owes much of its success today to George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr.

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