Persuasive Essay on Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth Junior, also known as Babe Ruth and arguably the greatest baseball player who ever lived, was born on February 6, 1894. Babe had a childhood that was very difficult. Pitching was his natural talent, but hitting is what he is remembered for today. Babe Ruth is a legend that will live forever.

"In 1902, George was sent to live at Saint Mary's Industrial School, which was a school for boys who, for different reasons, had problems living at home". The Story of BABE RUTH Baseball's Greatest Legend, Eisenberg (Pg. 16). His mother would miss and cry for him and Babe would sometimes come home. In 1904, Babes mother became very ill and could not handle Babe mischievous habits anymore. Although it was not a very easy decision, his mother thought it would be better if he were to stay at Saint Mary's permanently. He continued attending St. Mary's until his twentieth birthday.

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Every Sunday, the boys of the school would play sports such as: Volleyball, Basketball, Ice Skating and Baseball. Babe Ruth was noticed by Brother Matthias, on of the priests, for his exceptional ability of catching and throwing a baseball. Soon thereafter, Babe started learning different strategies from Brother Matthias. While he was at St. Mary's he played with a team called the Red Sox. He was the catcher on the team. One day, Babes team was playing against the Orioles, a very tough team. Babe's team was loosing and he was making fun of the team pitcher, which happened to be Brother Matthias. Brother Matthias was upset and demanded Babe to take over the pitching duties. Brother Matthias wanted to teach Babe a lesson but it did not work as he planned. Babe was throwing strikes like as if he were a natural pitcher. Babe improved his pitching and hitting and even changed his position from catcher to pitcher. Babe was doing so well that local newspapers were writing stories of him.

In 1913, jack Dunn, owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles, started hearing their biggest rival, Mount St. Joseph's College. Their pitcher was also being considered for a professional baseball team. That night, Babe struck out twenty-two of twenty-seven batters and led his team to a 6-0 victory. Right after the game, Jack Dunn offered to sign Babe to the Baltimore Orioles. Babe was under the age of twenty-one and too young to sign the contract. Babe's mother, passed away when he was thirteen and his father was no longer responsible for his son. Legal guardianship was given to Brother Paul. He gave Jack Dunn permission to be in charge of Babe until his twenty-first birthday. On February 27, 1914, Babe said his good-bye to St. Mary's to go on to play pro ball. In Baltimore though, fans were not coming to the games. Jack Dunn hoped that if people were to hear how great Babe Ruth was, they would come out to see the games. His pitching was getting better throughout the years. Jack Dunn's Baltimore Orioles were going bankrupt. On July 10, 1914, Dunn sold Babe to the Boston Red Sox to keep his team going. As Babe continued to pitch, other players started noticing Babe's tongue curling whenever he would throw a curve ball. This habit tipped of opposing batters which gave them advantage of hitting the baseball. Babe was demoted to the Minor Leagues because of his high earn run average. He played for the Red Sox minor league team in Providence, Rhode Island. Babe pitched his best there winning nine games.

In 1915, Babe Ruth cam back to play for the Boston Red Sox, his first permanent year with a major league team. In 1916, Babe's pitching and hitting began to pick up. That year, the World Series was between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Red Sox. Babe was a starting pitcher for the second game of the Series. That night, Babe went up to bat in the first inning and batted in a run to tie the score 1-1. The game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the fourteenth inning, the Red Sox scored winning the game 2-1. Babe Ruth won the CY Young award that year and another one in 1918.

In 1918, Babe wanted to change from being a pitcher to being a hitter. Manager Barrow placed Babe at first base in an exhibition game. Coach Barrow was surprised at how well Babe was able to play that he kept him at first. In May, Babe was in the line-up almost everyday. Unfortunately, near the end of the month, Babe developed a terrible cold and rumors were spreading that Babe Ruth was dying. When he appeared at Fenway Park the following week, the fans were at their feet clapping and shouting his name.

"In 1920, the Red Sox sold Babe to the New York Yankees. He attracted so many fans that Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923, was nicknamed "The House That Ruth Built"". World Book, 1998. "By July 15, Babe Ruth had tied his 1919 record of twenty-nine homeruns and finished with fifty-four". The Story of BABE RUTH Baseball's Greatest Legend, Eisenberg (pgs. 66-67). Babe Ruth was becoming such a great hitter that the pitchers and managers of opposing teams were walking him purposely just so that he would not hit a homerun. Fans, and opposing team's fans, would "boo" when the pitchers would walk Babe intentionally. No matter what kind of ball they threw, Babe would manage to hit the ball. "Today, Babe Ruth still holds the record for the most bases on balls, or walks, ever received". The Story of BABE RUTH Baseball's Greatest Legend, Eisenberg (pg. 67). Babe Ruth's first year as a Yankee finished with a batting average of .376 with thirty-six doubles and nine triples in addition to his fifty-four homeruns. On September 15th, Babe hit his fifty-fifth homerun. In following games he hit four more homeruns to establish his record of fifty-nine. Because of his powerful hitting, he helped the Yankees win their first pennant that year.

In 1921, the New York Yankees and the New York Giants played against each other in then World Series. Unfortunately, Babe Ruth hurt his arm in the first game and the Giants won the World Series.

In 1926, Babe hit forty-seven homeruns and drove in 155 runs. The Yankees won the pennant that year again and played against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

"Throughout his life, Babe always referred to the 1927 team as the greatest in history, and today sportscasters still compare modern teams to the #27 Yankees." The Story of BABE RUTH Baseball's Greatest Legend, Eisenberg (pg. 80). That year himself and the whole Yankee team smacked an incredible number of hits. On September 30th Babe belted out with his sixtieth homerun.

Babe Ruth hit a total of 714 homeruns and held his record for thirty-nine years. It was finally broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. Babe Ruth's last game in Major League Baseball was on May 30, 1935, two days after he was having trouble playing against the Cincinnati Reds. "Baseball was, is and always will be to me the greatest game in the world. I worked hard to learn it, and even harder to keep playing it". The Babe Ruth Story, Ruth,G.H. (pg. 11).

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