Milwaukee Brewers Closer Rollie Fingers Gets 300th Save

On Aug. 21, 1982, Milwaukee Brewers closer Rollie Fingers gets his 300th save as a pitcher.

Fingers started his career as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 1968, the year the team moved from Kansas City to Oakland. He played for the Athletics from 1968-1976, earning himself three World Series titles with the club in 1972, 1973 and 1974. In 1974 he was also named the World Series MVP.

Fingers was a starter with the A’s until 1970 when he began making relief appearances. In 1971 A’s manager Dick Williams made up his mind that Fingers would be a relief pitcher and the rest is history.

In 1977 the San Diego Padres picked up Fingers, where he played from 1977-1980. Fingers won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year in 1977, 1978 and 1980 with the Padres. He was also a two-time National League saves champion in 1977 and 1978. In 1980 Fingers broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s record of most saves in a career with his 228th.

In 1981 Fingers was back in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was continuing to get saves at an impressive rate, and once again won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award but this time in the American League. He was also the American League saves champion in 1981. But the most impressive feat of all that season was that Fingers was named the American League MVP and the American League CY Young.

In 1982 Fingers recorded his 300th save, and was the first closer in Major League history to do so. When Fingers retired in 1985 he finished his career with 341 saves, 114 wins and 118 losses, making him the first pitcher with 300 saves and also to have 100 wins, he also recorded 1,299 strikeouts in his career.

Fingers was elected into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Both the Athletics and the Brewers have retired his jersey No. 34.

Fingers is regarded to as one of the pioneers of modern relief pitching, especially for defining the role of the closer.

Cy Young Pitches Against All-Star Team

On August 13, 1908, the city of Boston, Mass. celebrated Cy Young day while Young pitched briefly against an All-Star team.

In 1904 Young pitched the first perfect game in American League history as a member of the Boston Red Sox. He is still the only player in a Boston uniform to throw a perfect game to this day.

Young who played in 22 seasons for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos, Boston Americans, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers finished his career with 511 wins as a starting pitcher. The 511 wins are still a record in the MLB today.

As a member of the Red Sox, he added three more no-hitters before his career ended. On top of the no-hitters Young pitched a record 749 complete games, something that will never be broken now because of the limited appearances a starting pitcher can obtain in a season, and the introduction of the relief pitcher.

One of Young’s most memorable moments was when he threw out the first pitch in World Series history in 1903 as a member of the 1903 Boston Red Sox. Young and the Red Sox would go on to win that years World Series.

Young even has an award named after him. The “Cy Young” award is now given out to the pitcher who puts up the best stats in a single season now.

Young finished his career with 511 wins, 316 losses and 17 saves. He had a 2.63 ERA with 2,803 strikeouts, 1,217 walks, 749 complete games and 76 shutouts.

Five times he was the Wins Champion. Twice in the NL with the Spiders in 1892 with 36 wins and in 1895 with 35 wins. Three times in the AL with the Boston Americans / Red Sox in 1901 with 33 wins, 1902 with 32 wins and 1903 with 28 wins. His 36 wins in 1893 was his highest single season total.

Twice he was an ERA Champion in 1892 with the Spiders in the National League with a 1.93 ERA and in 1901 with the Boston Americans with a 1.62 ERA. However, his lowest single season ERA came in 1908 as a member of the Red Sox when he had a 1.26 ERA, but did not lead the league.

Twice he was a Strikeout Champion, once in the NL in with the Spiders in 1896 with 140 strikeouts, and in the AL in 1901 as a member of the Boston Americans with 158 strikeouts. However, his highest single season total of strikeouts came in 1905 when he recorded 210 strikeouts, but did not lead the league.

Twice he was a Saves Champion, once in the NL in 1896 with the Spiders he recorded a league high three saves. Once in the AL, in 1903 with the Boston Red Sox he led the league in saves with 2. His highest single season total of saves came in 1896 with three.

Young was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937 with 76.12 percent of the vote. He was also announced to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1997.

St. Louis Cardinals Hall Of Famer Enos Slaughter Passes

On August 12, 2002, was a day of mourning for the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Enos Slaughter passed away at the age of 86. He was inducted in 1985 after playing 19 seasons in the major leagues, 13 with St. Louis he was a career .300 hitter. 

Slaughter also led the Cardinals to two World Series titles.

Overall, Slaughter was involved in five World Series with four wins in 1942, 1946, 1956 an 1958, the first two with the St. Louis Cardinals and the later two with the New York Yankees.

He joined the New York Yankees later in his career and helped them to the promised land three years in a row from 1956 to 1950. In the storied history of the Cardinals, Slaughter was one of the most consistent hitters in the franchise's history.

Slaughter was also a 10 time All-Star selection, all 10 times coming with the St. Louis Cardinals. The St. Louis Cardinals retired his no. 9 jersey in 1996.

His career accomplishments are especially impressive considering that he missed three seasons beginning in 1943 (when he was 27) to serve in the military during World War II.

Philadelphia Phillies' Pete Rose Breaks Stan Musial's Hit Record

On August 10, 1981, Philadelphia Phillies great Pete Rose collects career hit number 3,631, breaking Stan Musial's National League hit record of 3,630 hits.

Rose would total 4,256 hits in his career with 3,215 singles.

Rose finished his career with a .303 batting average, 4,256 hits, 746 doubles, 135 triples, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, 2,165 runs scored, 198 stolen bases and 1,566 walks.

Rose has 67 more hits than Ty Cobb who is the second ranked player on the list, and nearly 500 more hits than Hank Aaron who is ranked third all-time. Rose would also earn 17 more Major League records during his career, the most notable behind the hits record is most career games played, 3,562, which is 254 more than Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox who played in 3,308 games between 1961 and 1983.

Over the course of his career Rose played every single game of the season eight times, and five times led the league in games played. Rose led the league in batting average three times, with his highest single season average being .348 in 1969. He led the league in hits seven times with his highest single season hit total 230, coming in 1973. He also led the league in runs scored four times. His highest single season total of runs scored came in 1976 with 130 runs scored.

Rose would win the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1973 and was in the top 10 in MVP voting 10 times over his career. 1973 also was a season Rose was the National League batting champion. Rose was a three time World Series Champion in 1975, 1976 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies.

Rose won the Rookie of the Year award in 1963, was a Gold Glove winner twice, and a Silver Slugger once.

Rose would be selected to 17 All-Star games in his 24-season career. The most famous occurrence of Rose in an All-Star game came in 1970, when Rose smashed into then Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse on a play at the plate. Rose would give Fosse a separated shoulder with the incident, but scored the winning run in the process.

Rose even though the all-time hit leader in MLB, and owner of over 17 Major League records has not been elected into Cooperstown the baseball Hall of Fame because of gambling on baseball.

Rickey Henderson Sets MLB Consecutive Seasons Steals Record

On August 3, 1989, Oakland Athletics great and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson sets the American League record mark of 50 steals in nine consecutive seasons.

Henderson was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics.

Nicknamed "The Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and base runner^/ holding the record for most career leadoff home runs with 81, and winning three Silver Slugger awards in 1981, 1985 and 1990. His 1,406 career steals are almost double the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock, and more than 780 above the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 614.

Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A’s and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011.

He also holds the major league records for runs scored and unintentional walks.

Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases with 130 in 1982, and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

A 12-time stolen base champion, he was also among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the American Leagues Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the leadoff hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. Henderson was in the MVP conversation eight times during his career, and in the top five in voting three times.

At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in base on balls.

His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances.

His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era.

Henderson also won a Gold Glove in 1981.

At the end of his 25-year career Henderson accumulated a .279 batting average with 3,055 hits comprised of 510 doubles, 66 triples and 297 home runs. He also added in a major league record 2,295 runs scored, 1,115 RBIs, 2,190 walks and a major league record 1,406 steals with a major league record 335 times caught stealing. Henderson struck out 1,694 times.

A dozen times Henderson led the league in stolen bases with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 130 stolen bases, the major league record for a single season. Five times he led the league in caught stealing, with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 42, a major league record for caught stealing in a single season.

Five times Henderson led the league in runs scored with his highest single season total coming in 1985 with 146 runs scored. Four times Henderson led the league in walks, with his highest single season total coming 1989 with 129 walks. Once Henderson led the league in hits, 1981 when he had 135 hits, however his highest single season total came in 1985 with 172, although he did not lead the league that year.

He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans.

Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers^.

In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance with 94.8 percent of the vote.

The Oakland Athletics also retired Henderson’s no. 24 jersey in 2009.

Two Philadelphia Phillies Get Inducted Into Hall of Fame

On July 30, 1995, two Philadelphia Phillies Richie Ashburn and Mike Schmidt get inducted into Cooperstown Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was a center fielder, which played 15 seasons in the MLB between 1948 and 1962 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets.

Ashburn was of the famous "Whiz Kids" of the National League champion 1950 Phillies.

Ashburn finished his career with a .308 batting average with 2,574 hits, which included 317 doubles, 109 triples and 29 home runs. He also had 1,198 walks 1,322 runs scored, 586 RBIs and 234 steals while only striking out 571 times.

Ashburn was a six-time All-Star, including twice in 1962, when the MLB held two All-Star Games during the season. He was also a two-time National League Batting Title champion. Twice during his career Ashburn was in the top 10 in Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.

The Philadelphia Phillies retired his No. 1 jersey in 1979.

Ashburn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall's Veterans Committee in 1995 after a long fan campaign to induct him, which included bumper stickers that read, "Richie Ashburn: Why The Hall Not?"

Ashburn was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 1997.

Ashburn was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Each year the Phillies present the Richie Ashburn Special Achievement Award to "a member of the organization who has demonstrated loyalty, dedication and passion for the game."

The center-field entertainment area at the Phillies current stadium, Citizens Bank Park, is named Ashburn Alley in his honor in response to the demand of numerous fans requesting that the Phillies name the stadium in Ashburn's honor (due to Ashburn's 47 seasons of service to the Phillies organization, which was second in length in Philadelphia baseball history only to Connie Mack, who was so honored with the renaming of Shibe Park in 1953).

At Citizens Bank Park the Phillies' radio-broadcast booth is named "The Richie 'Whitey' Ashburn Broadcast Booth". It is directly next to the TV-broadcast booth, which was renamed "The Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth" after Kalas's death in 2009.

As for Mike Schmidt, he is widely considered as one of the greatest third baseman in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire 18-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Schmidt finish his career with a .267 batting average, 2,234 hits, which included 408 doubles, 59 triples and 548 home runs. He also compiled 1,595 RBIs, 1,506 runs scored, 1,507 walks and 174 steals while striking out 1,883 times.

Schmidt led the league in walks four times, including three consecutive years from 1981-1983. He also led the league in runs once, 1981 when he scored 78 runs.

Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star including six consecutive selections from 1979-1984. He was a three-time National League MVP, including back-to-back awards in 1980-1981. He was in the top 10 in MVP voting in nine times, including five consecutive years from 1980-1984.

He was a 10-time Gold Glove winner including nine-consecutive awards from 1976-1984. He was an eight-time National League home run champion including three-consecutive years from 1974-1976. He was a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner including five-consecutive awards from 1980-1984. He was a four-time National League RBI Champion, including back-to-back awards in 1980-1981.

Schmidt was a member of the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies who won the World Series, and was named the World Series MVP.

In 1983 Schmidt was awarded the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

In 1990 the Philadelphia Phillies retired his No. 20 jersey.

In 1995 he was inducted into the Cooperstown MLB Hall of Fame with 96.5 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he was on.

In 1997 he was named to the MLB All-Time Team and in 1999 he named to the MLB All-Century Team.

Montreal Expos' Dennis Martinez Pitches Perfect Game

On July 28, 1991, Montreal Expos’ Dennis Martinez pitches the thirteenth perfect game in Major League Baseball history against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.

Martinez followed Lee Richmond, Monte Ward, Cy Young, Addie Joss, Charlie Robertson, Don Larsen, Jim Bunning, Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, Len Barker, Mike Witt in throwing perfect games.

Since Martinez’ perfect game Kenny Rogers, David Wells, David Cone, and Randy Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Dallas Braden, Roy Halladay, Phillip Humber, Matt Cain and Felix Hernandez have all achieved perfect game status.

Martinez would finish his career with four All-Star appearnces, including three consecutive appearances from 1990-1992. He was a World Series Champion in 1983 with the Baltimore Orioles. He was also in the top five in CY Young Award voting twice and in the running for the MVP award twice.

Martinez nicknamed “El Presidente” would finish his 23-season career with 245 wins and 193 losses and eight saves in 692 games with 562 starts over 3,999.2 innings pitched. He totaled a 3.70 ERA with 2,149 strikeouts and just 1,165 walks. Martinez would throw 122 complete games, with his highest total, and a season high of 18 coming in 1979. He also had 30 shutouts with his highest single season total coming in 1991 when he threw five, one of them being the perfect game against the Dodgers.

Martinez led the league in wins in 1981 with 14, while in 1991 he led the league in ERA with a 2.39 mark.

Martinez is the all-time winningest Latin American pitcher with his 245 wins, setting the record on Aug. 9, 1998 with win number 244.

Check out the video below of the final out from El Presidente's perfect game: 

Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb Reaches 4,000 Hits

On July 18, 1927, Hall of Famer and Detroit Tigers great Ty Cobb collects career hit 4,000.

At the time Cobb was the only player in Major League Baseball to reach 4,000 hits. Since Cobb only one player has hit more than 4,000 hits and that is former Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos great Pete Rose.

Cobb, nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in The Narrows, Georgia, a small rural community of farmers that was not an official city or village at the time.

Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936 Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.

At the end of his playing career Cobb was credited with breaking 90 MLB records including ending his career with a .366 batting average, still the highest ever, 54 career steals of home, still the most of all time, 892 stolen bases, which has since been surpassed by three players including current stolen base champion Oakland Athletics great Rickey Henderson. Most runs scored with 2,245, which has since been surpassed only by Henderson. Most career hits with 4,191, which has since been surpassed only by Rose.

Cobb finished his career as a one time American League MVP in 1911, the winner of 12 batting titles, including nine in a row from 1907-1915, both of which are the most of all time. He batted over .400 three times, which is tied for an MLB record and only batted under .320 once in his career. He also led the American League with a .350 batting average at age 20, second youngest in MLB history to do so.

Cobb’s career numbers include a .366 batting average, a .433 on-base percentage, a .512 slugging percentage, 4,189 hits, 724 doubles, 295 triples, 117 home runs, 1,249 walks, 1,938 RBIs, 2,246 runs scored, 897 stolen bases in 3,034 games played.

Cobb was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1936 with 98.23 percent of the vote. Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.

Since the inception of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York there have been 300 members elected with only three members with a higher percentage of the vote being inducted after Cobb including in this order of percentage; New York Mets great Tom Seaver 98.84 percent, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and California Angels great Nolan Ryan 98.79 percent and Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. with 98.53 percent.

Only Kansas City Royals George Brett has topped 98 percent of the vote without surpassing Cobb, with 98.19 percent.

Minnesota Twins Turn Two Triple Plays Against Boston Red Sox

On July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins accomplish something that had never been done before as they turn not one, but two triple plays in a game at Fenway Park. 

The triple plays occurred in the fourth and eighth innings and were nearly identical; in both instances, Twins third baseman Gary Gaetti stepped on third base on a ground ball, threw the ball to second baseman Al Newman, who then threw the ball to first baseman Kent Hrbek.

There had been over 600 occurrences of the rare triple play, but never had more than one happened in the same game. 

It was a moot point though, as the Red Sox beat the Twins anyway, 1-0. The next day, the Twins tied an American League record by recording six double plays, but again lost to the Sox, 5-4. The Red Sox also turned double plays that game making for the most double plays ever turned in a single game with nine.

The six double plays tied a record the Twins already owned. Three years earlier in 1987 playing against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Twins turned six double plays in a 10-inning game.

In 2006 the Twins turned another great triple play, against the Seattle Mariners, with the bases loaded and no outs, Juan Rincon gets Kenji Johjima to ground into a 4-5-6-3 triple play to end the inning.

In the history of the Twins organization the Minnesota ball club has turned 11 triple plays on defense, and hit into seven.

 Check out the video below of the Twins' two triple-killings:

New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio Extends Hit Streak To 56 Games

On July 16, 1941, Hall of Famer, Martinez Native and New York Yankees slugger Joe DiMaggio gets three base hits in a game against the Cleveland Indians.

The three hits extended his consecutive-games-with-a-hit streak to 56 games, a full dozen past the previous record held by "Wee" Willie Keeler.

Just one day later, in a rematch against those same Indians, the New York Yankees won, 4-3 -- but DiMaggio went 0-3 thanks to a pair of great defensive plays by Indians third baseman Ken Keltner.

The Yankees won 41 games, lost 13, and tied twice during Joe's streak, and they would later run away with the American League pennant. But the streak was over.

At 56 games, DiMaggio had carried the hit record to a seemingly insurmountable mark; to this day, it remains the most ever in Major League Baseball history. Immediately following that game, DiMaggio got a hit in 16 straight games, meaning that he hit safely in 72 of 73 games and had safely reached base in all of them.

 

A then-record nighttime crowd of 67,468 had come out to watch him extend it to 57. Had he done it, the Heinz 57 Company would have given him a $10,000 endorsement.

The “Yankee Clipper”, DiMaggio’s, 56-game streak became one of the most idolized numbers in baseball and joined Babe Ruth's home run records, and later Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, as the most hallowed records in all of sports.

Whenever any player recorded a hit streak in the mid-thirties, still twenty short of the record, that player would receive an immense amount of coverage from the media. That's how enormous DiMaggio’s record was.

DiMaggio would have had a much more storied career if it were not the case that he enlisted in the United States Air Force in February of 1943. DiMaggio was stationed at Santa Ana, California, Hawaii, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a physical education instructor. He was released on medical discharge in September 1945, due to chronic stomach ulcers.

Other than now being paid $21 a month, DiMaggio's service was as comfortable as a soldier's life could be. He spent most of his career playing for base teams and in exhibition games against fellow Major Leaguers and minor league players, and superiors gave him special privileges due to his prewar fame.

DiMaggio ate so well from an athlete-only diet that he gained 10 pounds, and while in Hawaii he and other players mostly tanned on the beach and drank. Embarrassed by his lifestyle, DiMaggio demanded combat duty in 1943, but was turned down.

DiMaggio would return to baseball in 1946 after three years in service.

However, even with time in the Air Force during the prime of his career DiMaggio ended his career as one of the most loved Yankees, as he was a nine-time World Series Champion, a three-time MVP and of course he holds the record for consecutive game hit-streak with 56 games. 

DiMaggio’s career stats are not to be looked over either; in his 13-year career he was an All-Star every year, including seven consecutive appearances from 1936-1942, and then six more consecutive appearances from 1946-1951. He finished his career with a .325 batting average, 2,214 hits, 389 doubles, 131 triples, 361 home runs, 790 walks 1,537 RBIs, 1,390 run and a .398 on base percentage.

DiMaggio led the league in batting average twice in 1939 and 1940. In 1939 he won his first MVP award. DiMaggio also led the league in home runs twice in 1937 and 1948, both times he was runner up for the MVP, in 1937 he also led the league in runs scored. In 1941 and 1948 he led the league in RBIs, in 1941 he won the second of his three MVP awards.

DiMaggio was in the top 10 in MVP voting in 10 of his 13 years of action, and in the top three six times.

In 1955 he was inducted into Cooperstown Major League Baseball Hall of Fame with 88.84 percent of the vote on third ballot in which he was named.

Philadelphia Phillies Reach 10,000 Losses

July 15, 2007, the St. Louis Cardinals crush the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, making the Phillies the first team in sports history to reach 10,000 franchise losses. The Phillies had been a terrible organization for decades and once went 98 years without a championship. At the moment, the city of Philadelphia was in a winless streak of its own, having not won a title since 1983. 

However, the Philadelphia fans appeared to embrace the lackluster distinction; they chanted "10,000" throughout the game and gave the club a standing ovation when they finally lost.

The Phillies' accomplishment had been 125 years in the making. They began play in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and inauspiciously lost the first eight games of the season; in 1904, they became the first team to ever lose 100 games in a year; from 1918 to 1948, the Phillies had just one winning season and placed among the bottom three teams in the National League 28 times; in 1961, they lost a big league record 23 games in a row; in 1964, they blew a six-and-a-half game lead with 12 games to go in the season; in 1993, they lost the World Series on a game-winning home run to Joe Carter. They had even started a pitcher in 1940's (Hugh Mulcahy) who was so bad that he earned the nickname "Losing Pitcher."

But as they say, it's always darkest before the dawn. Philly fans basked in the sorrow that came with their 10,000 loss, but just one year later, they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their second World Series in franchise history. As Ed Barkowitz of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote after the title, "Phillies' 10,000 losses are a distant memory."

Check out a fan's view from the Phillies franchise loss 10,000: 

Babe Ruth Debuts At Pitcher For Boston 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.