It was September 30, 1927, when Babe Ruth hit his Major League record 60th home run, a record that would stand for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it with 61 in the 1961 season. George Herman Ruth, known as ‘The Babe’ started as a pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles but his contract was sold that same season to the Boston Red Sox. It was with the Red Sox he got his nickname ‘Babe’, short for baby, because he was so naïve.
Ruth’s contract was sold to the New York Yankees before the 1920 season and in the next 12 seasons he picked up the names ‘The Sultan of Swat’ and ‘The Bambino’. In the 1920’s and through 1935, Ruth was the biggest gate attraction in baseball.

The 1927 season, on the last game of the year, the Yankees were playing the Washington Senators. Left hander Tom Zachary was on the mound when Ruth hit his 60th home run in the 8th inning. The count was 2 balls and 1 strike when Zachary threw a fastball to ‘The Babe’ and he hit it over the right field fence for his 60th. Ruth broke his own record as he hit 59 homers in the 1921 season. In 1920 and 1928, Ruth smacked 54 home runs and 1930 he had 49. There were a lot of years when Ruth hit home runs for the season in 40’s.

The ‘Babe’ died of throat cancer in 1948 after 22 years in Major League Baseball.

History.com

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