Ruth Says Farewell To Baseball

On Sept. 24, 1934, 2,500 fans see Babe Ruth's farewell Yankee appearance at Yankee Stadium.

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 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.

During his 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.

The Yankees retired his no. 3 jersey and Major League Baseball has honored Ruth’s legacy by nameing him to 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 athlete 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.