This Day In Baseball
History: May 6, 1915
It was on this date in 1915 at
the Polo Grounds in New York, in a game against the Yankees, that a rookie
pitcher for the Boston Red Sox by the name of Babe Ruth, hit his first Major
League home run. During the 1915 season, Ruth would collect 29 hits in 92 at
bats (a .315 batting average) hit four home runs and have 20 RBIs. On the
mound, he compiled a win/loss record of 18-8, had an ERA of 2.44 and struck out
112 batters in 217 2/3 innings.
While Ruth would gain
superstardom slugging home runs as a member of the Yankees, he was a very
dominant pitcher for Boston before he was traded to New York. In 158 pitching
appearances for the Sox, he won 89 games, lost 46, had an ERA of 2.19
(including an AL-leading 1.75 in 1916), and struck out 483 batters in 1190 1/3
innings.
At the plate as a member of the
Red Sox, he collected 342 hits (including 49 home runs), a .308 batting average
224 RBIs. The Babe helped lead Boston to World Series championships in 1915,
1916 and 1918. As a pitcher, in three World Series games, Ruth was 3-0, had a
0.87 ERA and struck out eight hitters.
When considering the best player
in baseball history, there shouldn’t even be an argument against Ruth. Before
he became the dominating hitter he was while with the Yanks, he was a dominating
pitcher with Boston. No other player has ever been that effective in both
roles.
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