Page 7 - My FlipBook

RUTH USHERS IN A
NEW AGE

Babe Ruth played his first MLB game in

1914 with the Boston Red Sox. He spent
the first four seasons of his career almost

exclusively as a pitcher—and he was a good
one. In 1916 he went 23–12 and led the
American League (AL) with an earned run

average (ERA) of 1.75. He was the hero of the
1918 World Series, winning both of his starts
and allowing just two runs in 17 innings.

Ruth could have continued his brilliant
career as a starting pitcher. But in 1918, he
convinced Red Sox manager Ed Barrow to

let him play in the field on days Ruth didn’t
pitch. It proved to be a game-changing

decision. Ruth slugged a league-leading 11
home runs in 1918. The 1919 season started
out the same, with Ruth as a pitcher first
Babe Ruth throws a pitch for the Red Sox.
and a hitter second. But as he cranked out
home runs at a pace the game had never before seen, the Red Sox began to use him

mainly as a hitter. Barrow saw that Ruth could change the game at the plate. And
that’s exactly what Ruth did. He hit an almost unthinkable 29 home runs that year,
shattering the MLB record.

Ruth’s power surge in 1919 marked a shift in how the game was played. Home
runs were no longer an afterthought. Ruth was on a path to become the biggest star
the game had ever seen.

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