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George
Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), also popularly
known as "Babe", "The Bambino", and "The Sultan of Swat", was an
American Major League baseball player from 1914 to 1935. Named the
greatest baseball player in history in various surveys and rankings,
his home run hitting prowess and charismatic personality made him a
larger than life figure in the "Roaring Twenties". He was the first
player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a record which stood
for 34 years until broken by Roger Maris in 1961. Ruth's lifetime total
of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years,
until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth
also hit for average: his .342 lifetime batting is tenth highest in
baseball history, and in one season (1923) he hit .393, a Yankee
record. His .690 career slugging percentage, and 1.164 career OPS
remain the major league records.
Ruth dominated in the era in which he played. He led the league in home
runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage thirteen times,
OPS thirteen times, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each
of those totals represents a modern record (and also an all-time
record, except for RBIs).
In 1936, Ruth became one of the first five players elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player
Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional
baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth Number 1 on the list
of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." In 1999, baseball fans named Ruth
to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. According to ESPN, he
was the first true American sports celebrity superstar whose fame
transcended baseball. In a 1999 ESPN poll, he was ranked as the third
greatest US athlete of the century, behind Michael Jordan and Muhammad
Ali.
Beyond his statistics, Ruth completely changed baseball itself. The
popularity of the game exploded in the 1920s, largely due to him. Ruth
ushered in the "live-ball era," as his big swing led to escalating home
run totals that not only excited fans, but helped baseball evolve from
a low-scoring, speed-dominated game to a high-scoring power game.
Off the field he was famous for his charity, but also was noted for his
often reckless lifestyle. Even though he died more than 60 years ago,
his name is still one of the most famous in American sports. His
participation in an all-star tour of Japan in 1934 sparked that
country's interest in professional baseball; a decade later, Japanese
soldiers seeking the ultimate insult for American troops would
sometimes shout, "To hell with Babe Ruth!"
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