*Babe Ruth Thread*

[julusnc]

I just thought its time for the Bambino to have his own thread.Please friends list tidbits and facts to extend the lifes history and knowledge of Babe Ruth for others to enjoy.
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------------INDEX

------PAGE----------SUBJECT

--------1-----------Biographical info
--------2-----------Career Info/Discussion
--------3-----------Articles on Ruth
--------4-----------Hitting
--------5-----------Pitching
--------6-----------Fielding
--------7-----------Pictures
--------8-----------Pictures
--------9-----------Stories/Off Field Stuff

[SHOELESSJOE3]

This is from a game played August 21,1915. Ruth pitched and batted 9th,gave up 5 hits, Bosox 4 St. Louis 2. He had one out in the 9th when an infield error put a man on first, He was 4 for 4, one single, two doubles and a home run. Joe Woods relieved Ruth. A description of his home run, quite a drive for the ball in use at thattime.

[elmer]

LDHR Aug. 21, 1915 Re: Ruth's homer in St. Louis

to the inside edge of the sidewalk down the line is 470'.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

to the inside edge of the sidewalk down the line is 470'.

That is the figure I have seen in reference to that drive.

A shot of Grand Boulevard from outside the park. RF of course, your looking at the roof that extends from home plate to the RF line and the lower structure is the pavillion. In the 1928 World Series Ruth hit 3 home runs in one game,one that landed on top of the pavillion and two that soared over the pavillion.

This one may have been even further.1926 WS after hitting one over the roof in the first inning he really put the wood to his second home in that game in the third inning. This one further to the left of the RF line described as a " booming drive over the pavillion roof in right center field. In that same game sixth inning he hit home run number 3, dead center field deep into the bleachers.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

The result of one of the Babe's World Series home runs over that pavillion in Sportsmans Park St. Louis. The auto dealer left the window broken with a picture of Ruth in it for a week or two.

[torez77]

Sorry to stink up this thread with mention of that movie. Didn't realize you guys would hate it THAT much. But I understand where you're coming from that it was probably disrespectful to Ruth, considering the kind of person and athlete he REALLY was.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Finally from the other main participant in the " Called shot." Found this at the public library just today.

I've posted before on this one, my belief that Babe Ruth did not point at the center field bleachers. As far as I'm concerned he did more than enough. Taking one strike than a second strike acknowledging those two strike with raised fingers. In between answering the taunts coming from the Cub bench, shouting at them, pointing at them. Then he raises one finger and yells, "It only takes one" backed up by Cub catcher Hartnett.

Again in plain old street talk, lots of balls shooting off your mouth two strikes gone and then delivering. I do realize even Babe Ruth can't really predict a home run and he did not in this case, more or less said, I still have some gas in the tank.

As you can see Root says that Ruth pointed at him (Root) after the second strike, perhaps thats where the confusion comes in. Here it is.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

BTW, I wouldn't exactly call this a "called shot" but this one took place in the very first inning. As Ruth stood on the deck in the first inning the Cub bench began the taunting. Ruth said nothing turned to the Cub bench grinned and then gestured, at the right field bleachers. After Joe Sewell walked he stepped to the plate and than hit a 3 run homer into the right field bleachers. It's not wise to tease the Babe.

He finished that game with two home runs. missed a third home run by a little bit. In the second inning he pinned kiki Cuyler against the fence to pull down his drive.

[elmer]

Ldhr

How did you get it?

Could you estimate how far this one would have gone?

May 30, 1919 - At Shibe Park, Babe starts the first game of a double header and pitches to a 10-6 win, despite giving up 12 hits including a HR to Tilly Walker. In this first game he had a double and two singles in five AB, but hit the longest foul (or fair) home run anyone had ever seen. It went to right field...going over the fence and across the street, landing on top of a 20th St. building, and finally touching down on Lehigh Avenue.

First question, There is an insurance map on the cover of the originial Green Cathedrals that gives measurements on it. I also have another one that I got from a Philly Library. I have as many Sanborn maps as I could gather where ever Ruth hit long home runs when SABR had them during the trial in 2005.
I have about 70 maps all-together, mostly from parks where he barnstormed. Also some, not all, Major League parks. For instance he hit a couple of ground breaking homers in Crosley but not exceptionally long so I did not collect that park. I was collecting right up to the last minute so had priorities. Wish it had been available another 30 days.
For the Shibe homer you mention-- to the front of the houses on N. Twentieth St., it is 390' down the line. to the back is 50' more and 450' to
the center of the alley behind those houses. Opal is the next street beyond the houses that are on the other side of the alley.
A home run hit to straight right field landing halfway back on one of the houses is about 418' & 22' off the ground. The height was measured by Bill Jenkinson he lives not far from there.
Elmer

[SHOELESSJOE3]

A rare one here. If the source is right and I believe it to be so, Babe at bat and Lou Gehrig on deck at Yankee Stadium.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Not sure where this went, have to look may have posted it on another thread.
Here it is, a rare one Babe at bat and Lou on deck at Yankee Stadium.

[elmer]

Ldhr

Thanks for your response. Great info on that foul bomb. Do you know where Lehigh Avenue is? Gotta be there somewhere. Maybe its the next street over from Opal?

Lehigh runs along first base line and a few blocks down it runs past the Baker Bowl. It would never relate to any home run. Twentieth is along right to center field.

Anyway, a couple more questions about some dingers...if you have any distance info on them.

Bill Jenkinson's book will show his estimates for all 714 of Ruth's ML homers. Even though Ruth had several of his longest home runs in '21 his home runs had the greatest average for distance in '27.

---Sep. 7, 1918 - Ruth's famous "War Garden" blast at Griffith off Johnson, which reportedly caused a nearby dog to bark. It was his third homer in three straight games and was the first he ever hit off Walter. I believe SHOELESS once posted an aerial of Griffith and marked where it touched down but can't find it.
no description do i have, maybe 440 - 470. His last homer that year was JUNE 30th

---July 8, 1918 - Babe's would-have=been 12th dinger in '18, his only Fenway homer turned into a triple because of walk-off rules at the time. It was said to have gone 2/3 up into the deep right-center bleachers.

according to the 1917 'ward' insurance type map i have of Fenway it would
be about 450', (2/3 of the way up), to the landing area. That does not include travel to the ground.

---Sept 27, 1919 - This homer off Rip Jordan in the third inning at Washington, cleared the 45 foot wall in right field by a good 20 feet. It not only extended his new record by one HR, but it gave him a couple other things. He met his goal of homering in every park in the AL during the year, and it gave him the distinction of having hit the longest HR in every park as well. This HR could be an answer to another trivia question, the question being, what did Ruth do with his final official hit as a Red Sox player? After going 0 for 1 in game 2, he was replaced in left field by Roth, and didn't play in the final game of the season. He played an exhibition game in Baltimore on the 29th with Barrow's permission, instead of playing in the finale.

Need a landing area to determine but sounds like at least 450 on up.http://www.baseball-fever.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

---July 18, 1919 - Two homers in a game for the second time that year, and in his career. Babe came up in the fourth inning at Cleveland with a runner on, and according to the Post, he "Sent the sphere flying over the rooftops on Lexington Avenue." In the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the Sox down 7 - 4, Cleveland manager Lee Fohl brought in lefty reliever Fritz Coumbe and ordered him to keep the ball down. Didn't work. Babe blasted another grand slam and this homer went even further than his first. It gave the Sox a 8 - 7 win and the next day Fohl resigned, which gave Speaker a shot to manage.

I don't have that account. Boston Globe says he hit it over the wall in the fourth inning. No more description than that.
the second home run was hit over the screen in right landing on the back of
a house on the other side of Lexington. A ball landing NEAR the back of the house in dead right field would be 425' from home plate ON TOP of the house. Remember it is only 290' down the RF line. The Globe article
states they had decided to give Ruth slow pitches, "his weakness".
So he hit the ball off a fairly slow pitch. Not easy to hit a long way.
The backs of those houses is an un even line. they were from 405' down the line to about 450' in RC. Lexington is 60' across. The back ends of the houses were roughly 60 to 70 feet beyond the house side of the sidewalk.

Elmer

[SHOELESSJOE3]

---Sep. 7, 1918 - Ruth's famous "War Garden" blast at Griffith off Johnson, which reportedly caused a nearby dog to bark. It was his third homer in three straight games and was the first he ever hit off Walter. I believe SHOELESS once posted an aerial of Griffith and marked where it touched down but can't find it.
no description do i have, maybe 440 - 470. His last homer that year was JUNE 30th

Elmer

Dug this one up fast, this could be the one you speak of.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

the second home run was hit over the screen in right landing on the back of
a house on the other side of Lexington. A ball landing NEAR the back of the house in dead right field would be 425' from home plate ON TOP of the house. Remember it is only 290' down the RF line. The Globe article
states they had decided to give Ruth slow pitches, "his weakness".
So he hit the ball off a fairly slow pitch. Not easy to hit a long way.
The backs of those houses is an un even line. they were from 405' down the line to about 450' in RC. Lexington is 60' across. The back ends of the houses were roughly 60 to 70 feet beyond the house side of the sidewalk.

Elmer

So much for the Bam and his weakness... the slow pitch. More......... Cub pitcher Charlie Root on Ruth, that famous home run in the 1932 World Series.

[elmer]

Ldhr

the HR line on the Griffith photo ends in the tree.
At the end of the line where it touches the R is 470'- 475' from home.
back end of the last row house in that row next to the bleachers
is 490' from HP.
Mantle hit one of the two '56 opening day homers on top of that house. According to the description it went just left of the 408' corner before landing there.
That line would take the ball to the front of the house about 520' or more from HP. If it had passed any more to the left of 408' it would not have landed on that house but the one next to it, closer to the bleachers.

Elmer