Welcome again to another jersey entry. Showcased here is a custom made New York Yankees Babe Ruth jersey. This piece was a very interesting and fortunate find. An ad was placed by a graphic design studio owning mock jerseys manufactured for their ads that ran on MLB Network. The company gave me a very generous deal considering the price they paid themselves for the jerseys to be made.
Since the jersey is custom made, it does not have any brand name tags attached. However, the quality and materials are definitely on the same degree or even higher than that of a licensed company. The material of the jersey is soft polyester with 3/4 length sleeves and wool felt navy blue fabric for the number/letters to replicate the 1932 season. in case you're wondering, I bought the Lou Gehrig on the same day as this one.
Although he has played for several other franchises and had great years with the New York Yankees, I've chosen to only cover his 1932 season for publishing reasons. That season also holds on of the most mysterious and disputed moments in baseball history when the Yankees played in the World Series.
Born in Baltimore, MD on 6 February 1895, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr. started his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher winning three World Series championships in 1915, 1916, and 1918. In 1920, he was sold to the New York Yankees and a rivalry was born.
Batting in his primal years alongside Lou Gehrig, The Sultan of Swat would earn numerous home run awards and set records wearing pinstripes as well as earning the 1923 AL MVP and a spot in the 1933 All-Star Game. He would also collect four more World Series Championships in 1923, 1927, 1928, and his final one in 1932.
The 1932 World Series will live in infamy for many baseball fans and historians. In Game 3, Babe Ruth pointed towards centre field moments before hitting a home run out of the park. "The Called Shot" as it is now known is a disputed claim as to whether or not he was predicting the dinger or bantering with the opposing team's dugout. It would be his final hit and home run in a World Series game making the event more memorable. Regardless if it was a fluke or not, the New York Yankees went on to capture the championship in a four game sweep. At the end of the year, he belted 41 home runs with a .341 batting average and 137 runs batted in.
The Great Bambino would play two more seasons in with the New York Yankees, but his numbers fell indicating that he no longer had the power to continue as a player. He played his final season in the city he started his career, but with the Boston Braves. Shortly into the season, he retired after playing six games with that club.
Career Highlights and Achievements:
714 HR, 2220 RBI, .342 BA, 94-46 W-L record, 17 SO, 2.28 ERA, 2x All-Star [1933, 1934], 7x World Series Champion [1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932], 12x AL HR Leader [1918-21, 1923-24, 1926-31], AL MVP [1923], AL ERA Leader [1916], AL Batting Average Leader [1924], .690 SLG%, 1.164 OPS%. National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee [1936], MLB All-Time Team [right fielder, 1997], MLB All-Century Team [1999].
On 13 June 1948, the New York Yankees retired #3 in his honour. Two awards were named after him as well; The Babe Ruth Award [originated in 1949] is given annually to the best performer in the World Series. Additionally, The Babe Ruth Home Run Award [originated in 1998] is given to the player with the most home runs in the regular season.
On 16 August 1948, just two months after his last appearance at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth passed away at the age of 53 due to cancer. Although a very controversial figure off the field, no other player owns the title of being the greatest baseball player of all time.
“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” - Babe Ruth
