# Babe Ruth

> American baseball player (1895–1948)

**Wikidata**: [Q213812](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q213812)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/babe-ruth

## Summary
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. was an American professional baseball player whose power-hitting transformed the sport, setting numerous records for home runs and helping popularize baseball in the 1920s and 1930s. Nicknamed "The Bambino," he is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time and was among the first inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

## Biography
- **Born**: February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.  
- **Nationality**: United States  
- **Known for**: Revolutionizing baseball with record-breaking home runs and contributing to the New York Yankees' dynasty.  
- **Employer(s)**: Boston Red Sox (1914–1919), New York Yankees (1920–1934), Boston Braves (1935).  
- **Field(s)**: Professional baseball (pitcher, outfielder).  

## Contributions
- Set multiple single-season and career home run records, including 60 home runs in 1927 and a career total of 714.  
- Led the New York Yankees to four World Series championships (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932).  
- Popularized the home run era, shifting baseball strategy from small-ball tactics to power hitting.  
- Inspired the "Curse of the Bambino" superstition after his trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Yankees in 1920.  
- Namesake of the Ruth–Aaron pair, a mathematical concept involving consecutive integers with equal sums of prime factors.  

## FAQs
**Q: What teams did Babe Ruth play for?**  
A: Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox (1914–1919), New York Yankees (1920–1934), and Boston Braves (1935).  

**Q: Why is Babe Ruth called "The Bambino"?**  
A: The nickname "The Bambino" originated from his early career in Baltimore, where "bambino" (Italian for "child") reflected his youthful energy and dominance.  

**Q: What awards did Babe Ruth receive?**  
A: He won the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (1923), was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1936), and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.  

**Q: What is the "Curse of the Bambino"?**  
A: A superstition blaming Ruth’s 1920 trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees for an 86-year championship drought in Boston, broken in 2004.  

## Why They Matter
Babe Ruth’s impact extended beyond his on-field achievements. He revolutionized baseball by making the home run a central part of the game, increasing its popularity during the 1920s–30s "Golden Age of Sports." His larger-than-life personality and charitable efforts helped bridge baseball’s appeal across socioeconomic divides. Without Ruth, the sport’s strategic evolution and cultural influence might have progressed more slowly, and the Yankees’ legacy as a dynasty might not have been established. His records and charisma set a benchmark for future players and solidified his status as a cultural icon.

## Notable For
- First player to hit 500 career home runs (1929).  
- Inaugural inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1936).  
- Namesake of the Babe Ruth Award (established 1949) for postseason MVP.  
- Member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team (1999).  
- Posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2018).  

## Body
### Early Life  
Born George Herman Ruth Jr. on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, to German-American parents. He was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys at age 7, where Brother Matthias, a Catholic monk, taught him baseball.  

### Professional Career  
- **Boston Red Sox (1914–1919)**: Began as a left-handed pitcher, helping the team win three World Series titles (1915, 1916, 1918).  
- **Transition to Outfielder**: Sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, Ruth shifted to the outfield and became a full-time hitter, setting single-season home run records (54 in 1920, 60 in 1927).  
- **New York Yankees (1920–1934)**: Led the team to four World Series championships and seven American League pennants.  
- **Later Career**: Traded to the Boston Braves in 1935, retiring the same year after 22 seasons.  

### Legacy  
- **Statistical Impact**: Career .342 batting average, 714 home runs, and 2,217 runs batted in (RBIs).  
- **Cultural Influence**: His home run hitting and charismatic persona helped baseball recover from the Black Sox Scandal (1919) and thrive during the Great Depression.  
- **Post-Playing Life**: Managed the Boston Braves briefly in 1938 and made public appearances until his death from pancreatic cancer on August 16, 1948.  

### Mathematical Namesake  
The Ruth–Aaron pair, defined as two consecutive integers with equal sums of prime factors, commemorates Ruth’s career home run record (714) and Hank Aaron’s subsequent breaking of the record (715).  

### Honors and Tributes  
- Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, his first year of eligibility.  
- The Babe Ruth Award, established in 1949, honors the most valuable player in the MLB postseason.  
- Featured in the Major League Baseball All-Century Team (1999) and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2018.

## References

1. [Trump to award Medal of Freedom to Elvis, Babe Ruth, among others. 2018](https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/10/politics/trump-presidential-medal-of-freedom/index.html)
2. International Standard Name Identifier
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. CiNii Research
5. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
6. SNAC
7. Find a Grave
8. GeneaStar
9. MLB.com
10. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
11. IdRef
12. The Movie Database
13. Golden
14. KBpedia