George Herman "Babe" Ruth debuts in MLB
Today in history: July 11, 1914
On July 11, 1914, George Herman "Babe" Ruth pitched seven innings to have the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians), 4-3 in his major league debut.
Born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, his father was a saloon keeper on the waterfront. He was the eldest of eight children, although only he and a sister survived past infancy.
Known to his family as "Gig" (pronounced jij), George was always in trouble as a child. His parents declared him"incorrigible" due to his truancy and sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys.
He lived at the orphanage until he was 19, then signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a pitcher.
George was sold to the Boston Red Sox that summer.
His nickname, "Babe," was given to him by his teammates for his naiveté, but his talent matured quickly.
The 19-year-old Ruth gave up five hits in the first six innings in his debut game. In the seventh inning, Ruth was relieved when the Indians got two runs on three singles and a sacrifice. At the plate, he went 0 for 2.
He improved as both a hitter and a pitcher. Ruth played for the Red Sox when they made the World Series in 1916 and 1918, and set a record with 29 2/3 consecutive World Series scoreless innings.
For the Red Sox, his career pitching record was 89-46.
Before the 1920 baseball season, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees, to the great disappointment of Boston Fans, to finance the musical No, No, Nanette.
With the Yankees, Ruth switched to the outfield and hit more home runs than the entire Boston Red Sox team in 10 of the next 12 seasons.
Before retiring in 1935, “The Sultan of Swat” or “The Bambino,” was the biggest attraction in baseball.
With the New York Yankees, he won seven American League pennants and four World Series, but after Ruth retired, the team did not win the World Series again until 2004.
Red Sox fans call the 85-intervening years, “the Curse of the Bambino."