August 21, 1931, 95 years ago today: The Yankees’ Babe Ruth hits the 600th home run of his major league career off St. Louis Browns pitcher George Blaeholder. Almost four years and 114 homers to go at that point for the Babe. Ruth was still in the prime of his career—he’d go on to bat .373 and club 46 homers, leading the American League for the final time. He was playing under a new 1930 contract that paid him $80,000 per year as the Great Depression settled in. It was more than President Herbert Hoover was making, to which Ruth famously observed, “I had a better year than him.”
Ruth’s incomparable career was hitting its home stretch. It began to show a bit the next year, but he still socked 41 homers. In the 1932 World Series the Babe would hit his famous and much-debated “called shot” at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. Fans set the scene by throwing lemons and rolled-up newspapers at Ruth, feeling that the Cubs had been disrespected by the Yankees. Before a 2-2 pitch from Chicago’s Charlie Root, Ruth gestured toward centerfield—then deposited a mammoth home run over the wall in center. Some doubted that Ruth was really “calling his shot,” but the Babe embraced the narrative.
The 1933 season was a mixture of history and finality for Ruth. The All-Star Game made its debut that year, and the 38-year-old Bambino fittingly hit the first home run ever in the Midsummer Classic. Then, on the final day of the regular season, the Yankees put Ruth on the mound as a promotional stunt. It was only his fourth start in 14 seasons with the Yanks (he had been primarily a pitcher before that with the Boston Red Sox). All Ruth did was throw a complete game victory over the Red Sox, winning the game with a 395-foot homer. According to Ruth, his left arm was so sore after the game that he had to eat with his right hand for the next week.
Ruth spent one final season with the Yankees in 1934, with his home run production dipping to 22 (after hitting 34 in 1933). One of them, though, was the 700th of his career. But he knew the end was near and made it clear to the club that he wanted to become a manager. That didn’t mesh with the club’s vision, and Ruth ended his time as a Yankee. The Babe spent his final season with the Boston Braves, retiring in June of 1935, a week after hitting three home runs in a game for the final time. They were nos. 712, 713 and 714.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
