George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born in Baltimore, MD February 6, 1895 to German immigrants. He had a very troubled and unhappy childhood, being sent to a Catholic reform school at an early age. However even there he excelled at sports and gave an indication of his ability.
      In 1914 at the age of 19 he was signed to the minor league baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. It was here he got his nickname the Babe. It came from the players saying he was owner Jack Dunn’s newest babe and it stuck. In July Dunn sold Ruth and two other players to the Boston Red Sox. At this time Babe was considered a pitcher only; they didn’t know about his hitting prowess. He played with the Red Sox until he was traded to the Yankees in 1919. He had an outstanding record as a pitcher but it was decided he would be more useful as an everyday player and hitter.
      Over his career Ruth hit 714 home runs, a record that held up until 1974. Unlike most power hitters he had a lifetime batting average of 342, 10th highest in history. In 1923 he had a batting average of 393. His home run record of 60 in a single season stood until 1961. He led baseball in most home runs in a single season 12 times and most RBI’s six times during his career. In 1936 he was one of the first five inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has consistently been ranked as the greatest baseball player of all time by many sports authorities.