Ruth Debuts As Pitcher For Red Sox

On July 11, 1914 Babe Ruth debuts as a pitcher for Boston Red Sox, he beats Cleveland 4-3.
Babe Ruth without question was one of the best hitters of all time.  If you include his high quality of pitching in his early years, there is no doubt that he is the greatest all around baseball players of all time.

Before Ruth’s decline, he was hands down the best player during his era in the Major Leagues. He still holds records for .690 career slugging percentage and 1.164 career on base plus slugging percentage, and still ranks top 10 in over 15 offensive categories.

Ruth was the first player to 60 home runs, and he did so in a time when the next best player was hitting in the low teens. He was a seven time World Series Champion with the New York Yankees, he was voted the 1923 American League MVP and was a two-time All-Star. He led the American League in home runs 12-times, and was a six-time American League RBI Champion.

“The Sultan of Swat” as often named was the American League Batting Champion in 1924, but only after he gave up as an honored pitcher who won the American League ERA title in 1916.

Ruth finished his pitching portion of his career with a 94-46 record with a 2.28 ERA while striking out 477 batters in 163 games. He has 107 complete games in his career and 17 shutouts. He only gave up 10 career home runs.

During his hitting career “The Great Bambino” hit for a .342 career average, with 714 home runs, 2,873 hits, 2,213 RBI’s. He also pitched for an amazing 94-46 record with a 2.28 ERA. His 714 home runs would be a record for 38 years until September 23, 1973 when “Hammerin” Henry, or Hank Aaron broke the record with his 715 blast. Aaron would go on to hit 755 home runs.

Ruth’s record would again be broke in 2007 when Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants set a new all-time home run record, which is currently the all-time leading total in Major League Baseball at 762. Currently Ruth’s 714 home runs rank third all-time in MLB history.

The Yankees retired Ruth’s no. 3 jersey and Major League Baseball has honored Ruth’s legacy by named him the All-Century and All-Time teams.

“The Babe” was elected into Cooperstown Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1936 with 95.13 percent of the vote.

Ruth has been named the greatest baseball player of all time in various surveys and rankings. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked him number one on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".

In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100-year anniversary of professional baseball.

In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Muhammad Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athletes in America.

In a 1999 ESPN poll, he was ranked as the second-greatest U.S. athlete of the century, behind Michael Jordan.

The Babe Ruth Award is an annual award given to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the World Series. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949, one year after Ruth's death.

The Babe Ruth Home Run Award is an annual award presented to the leading home run hitter in MLB. Ruth’s daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, or her son, Tom Stevens, usually presents it to the recipient.