COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION 6 BOSTON RED SOX BABE RUTH #2

Babe Ruth is synonymous with the home run – having led the A.L. in homers 12 times, and holding the single-season and all-time home run records for several decades each. Ironically, George Herman Ruth first made a big impression on the mound; he was a standout pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, winning 89 games over six seasons, including 23 wins in 1916 and 24 wins the next season. In the 1916 World Series, Ruth allowed a first-inning inside-the-park home run to Brooklyn Robins (look it up) center fielder Hy Myers, before silencing the opposing lineup for the next 13 innings – Boston won the game 2-1 and went on to win the World Series four games to one. Ruth emerged as an irreplaceable slugger, but still managed to get some pitching in after becoming a Yankee in 1920. Ruth pitched in five games for New York over the years, and while the rust showed (5.51 career ERA as a Yankee) he managed to win all five games he appeared in with New York.