The Great Bambino

By | June 7, 2019

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Babe Ruth at 20 years old and playing as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Source: (Wikimedia Commons)

The most famous baseball player in history, Babe Ruth, was born George Herman Ruth Jr. on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore Maryland. He was one of eight children born to George Herman Ruth Sr. and Kate Schamberger-Ruth. Sadly, of the eight children, only Ruth and his sister Mamie survived infancy.

Ruth’s parents owned a tavern and worked long hours. This left him with plenty of time to get into trouble. As a result, at the age of seven, he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys which was run by Catholic monks. The stricter environment proved good for young Ruth and he soon bonded with Brother Matthias who became a positive role model and father figure to him. It was Matthias and the other monks who introduced Ruth to baseball and eventually invited Jack Dunn, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, to come out and watch him play.

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Babe Ruth in his Red Sox uniform. Source: (Wikipedia.org)

Dunn was so impressed with Ruth’s skill that he immediately offered him a contract. Ruth was only 19 at the time and by law had to have a legal guardian sign his contract so Dunn became his legal guardian. As a result, Ruth’s teammates referred to him as Dunn’s “new babe” and that is how he got the nickname Babe. Ruth played so well for the Orioles that he soon made the major leagues, where he led the Red Sox to three championships over the next five years.