Babe Ruth the Homerun King - By: Bo Williams

The Yankees knew they were getting a star when they purchased Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, but they had no idea they were changing the course of modern sports history. Babe Ruth has since become regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is credited with changing baseball itself.

Ruth was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 11, 1914, with the Boston Red Sox. Ruth originally broke into the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full-time right fielder and subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters.

Ruth was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup that won seven pennants and four World Series titles during his tenure with the team. He 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. The world famous Yankee Stadium became known as The House that Ruth Built. Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record, until first surpassed by Hank Aaron in 1974. After a short stint with the Boston Braves in 1935, Ruth retired. In 1936, he became one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He dominated in the era in which he played.

Babe Ruth was born at 216 Emory Street in Pigtown, a rough neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Not much is known about Ruth's early childhood. Only one of Ruth's seven siblings, his sister Mamie, survived past infancy. His mother was constantly ill and she later died of tuberculosis while Ruth was still a teenager. His early childhood was very difficult. No one could have guess that he would become a legend in the game of baseball.

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