The Immortal Babe Ruth

In all of American sports there is no name more recognized than that of Babe Ruth. He was the George Washington of baseball and the Elvis Presley of home run hitters. While compiling a remarkable record of 714 career homers, he acquired other names like the Big Bam, the Caliph of Clout, and the Sultan of Swat—all attesting to his prowess of hitting a baseball harder and farther than anyone else of his time. Ironically, his real name, the one given to him by his parents—George Herman Ruth—is no longer a household name today, much like the name of Roger Connor, the man who once held the home run record of 138 before Ruth came along. 

One hundred years ago Babe Ruth was just beginning his twenty year career in major league baseball. He started as a pitcher, and helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 1915, 1916, and 1918, before being sold to the New York Yankees. Ruth convinced the Yankees with his superlative batting averages that he was more valuable in the outfield, where he could play in every game, rather than taking his turn on the pitcher’s mound, where he would play in rotation. With Ruth always in the lineup, the Yankees would win four world championships.

In this centennial year of Babe Ruth’s second World Series victory, the National Portrait Gallery devotes a one room exhibition to perhaps the most talented individual to ever swing a Louisville Slugger. Ruth was often asked how he learned to pummel baseballs into stands and out of ball parks. His answer was always the same—it was not something he learned, but rather it was a gift that came naturally.