“Ruth Bought by the New York Americans for $125,000 Highest Price in Baseball Annals”

“Ruth Bought by the New York Americans for $125,000 Highest Price in Baseball Annals” is how the headline read in the January 6, 1920 addition of the New York Times. Even 86 years ago baseball’s off-season has been marked with headlines as bold as those created during the season.

“Acquisition of noted Batsman gives New York Club the Hard-Hitting outfielder long desired” As a child I often heard how brilliant the Yankees were for acquiring a left-handed pitcher, and converting him to the outfield where he went on to the be best and most important player in baseball history. Well that wasn’t exactly true, as Ruth pitched 133 league average innings in 1919. While stepping to the plate over 500 times. He was considered a slugger at the time, much more so than a pitcher. 

“Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox, baseball super-slugger, was purchased by the Yankees yesterday for the largest cash sum ever paid for a player. The New York Club paid Harry Freeze of Boston $125,000 for the sensational batsman who last season caused such a furore in the national game by batting out twenty-nine home runs, a new record in long-distance clouting. ” From this quote it was pretty clear that Ruth was acquire to be a slugger first and foremost.

“Colonel Ruppert, President of the Yanks, said that he had taken over Ruth’s Boston contract, which had two more years to run. This contract calls for for a salary of $10,000 a year. Ruth recently announced that he would refuse to play for $10,000 next season” I don’t remember ever hearing a reference to a potential salary depute between Ruth and the Red Sox, just that it was all about No, No, Nanette.

Talk about being prophetic “The short right field wall at the Polo Grounds should prove an easy target for Ruth next season and, playing seventy-seven games at home, it would not be surprising if Ruth surpassed his home run record of twentynine circuit clouts next Summer.” I would say 54 in 1920, and then 59 in 1921 exceeded 29, never mind the famous 60 in 1927.