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Babe Ruth in 1935 Photo Gallery
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Boston Brave Babe Ruth Plays His Final Game, May 30, 1935
“All ballplayers should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill.” –Babe Ruth, 1935
This past week was notable for all fans of the great Bambino, Babe Ruth. Eighty-nine years ago, on May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field, the Babe clouted the last home runs of his career. Going out in typical “Ruthian” style, it proved to be a memorable afternoon. The Babe went 4-for-4, with three long ones and a single, though the Braves lost the game 11–7 to the Pirates. The final homer off the Pirates’ Guy Bush — number 714 — sailed over the upper deck in right field and cleared the roof as it left the park. The blast was the first time anyone had hit a fair ball completely out of Forbes Field.
Then just five days later, on May 30, 1935, Babe played his final game. In the first inning of an 11-6 loss to the Phillies at the Baker Bowl, he grounded out to first baseman Dolph Camilli in his final career at-bat. On June 2, eighty-nine years ago today, he announced his retirement after an argument with Braves’ owner Judge Fuchs.
The Babe Doesn’t Look Happy in Boston
All of this got me thinking about Babe’s last year as an active player which he spent as a member of the Boston Braves. In searching for pictures of him in a Braves uniform, I soon discovered it’s tough to find one of him with a smile on his face. As a matter of fact, in most of them, he looks absolutely miserable. After reading about his year with the Braves, I soon realized why — it was a historically bad year and there was very little to smile about! So when I came across this beautiful colorized photo of Ruth with a big grin on his face, I knew I had to post it.
Anyway…here’s a few words about his short time with the Braves, the Bambino’s last —and very forgettable — year in the majors. It’s a shame such a wonderful career ended on such a sour note:
The Braves in 1935: A Historically Bad Year
Babe was hired by team owner Judge Fuchs in February 1935, with the promise of eventually fulfilling his dream of managing. On Opening Day, 1935, Babe had a role of all of the Braves’ runs in a 4–2 win over the Giants, but it was all downhill from there.
Although his 1934 season would be considered decent for most ball players, it was significantly below Ruthian standards, as he hit .288, with 22 home runs, and 84 RBIs. Age, plus years of high living and poor conditioning, had begun taking its toll, and his deterioration became more pronounced. As the start of the 1935 season approached, it was apparent to all observers that he was now only a shadow of his former self. He could no longer run, and his fielding was so bad that three of the Braves pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth was in the lineup. Then, a month into the season, he stopped hitting as well. Seeing the team in utter collapse and realizing he was finished even as a part-time player, Ruth retired six days after the memorable afternoon described above.
How bad was the 1935 season for the Braves? Read below:
Despite fielding essentially the same team that finished fourth a year earlier, the 1935 season quickly turned into a debacle. In fact, their Opening Day win was the only time they were over .500 all year. They won only four games in May, and by the time Ruth retired they were 9-27, their season all but finished. They ultimately finished 38–115, the worst season in franchise history. Their .248 winning percentage is tied for the seventh-worst in baseball history, and the sixth-worst in National League history. It is the second-worst in modern baseball history (behind only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics), and the worst in modern National League history. (1)
Babe Ruth finished his major league career with a very “un-Ruthian” season: He played in 28 games, with 72 at-bats. He hit .181, with 13 hits, 13 runs, 6 home runs, and 12 RBIs.
Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: The Ruth colorization was found on the Out Of The Park website by poster Krantzbucks: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-mods-rosters-photos-quick-starts/184046-gambo-t_wil1-photopack-779.html; The other photos are from the Boston Public Library Leslie Jones Baseball Collection and Public Domain
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As you say, great colorized photo. I loved Braves’ uniforms, right up until their move to Atlanta, when they started wearing slow-pitch softball outfits.
Hi Gary,
Thanks for this sensitive account of The Mighty Babe’s final and most miserable season. Thinking that the ’62 Mets managed to ring up the worst-of-the-worst win/loss record of the modern era with their 40-and-120 log (.250), I’m shocked to learn their ineptitude was actually exceeded by Boston’s in 1935. Wow.
As you say, Ruth had aspirations of becoming a big-league manager one day. Brooklyn hired him to do some coaching for the Dodgers, as we know, but unfortunately that was as close as he ever came to fulfilling his managerial dreams.
With all the fresh talk now about guys from the Negro Leagues who were supposedly better than Babe Ruth, I think it’s safe to say this man was the greatest ballplayer ever. His “candle” was tragically brief, but it burned the brightest of any while he was roaming above the sod.
May God bless George Herman Ruth!
Gary,
Agree with the incredible Keedy on your sensitive account of the Bambino’s final Days.
Had no idea his fielding had gotten so bad that players threatened to strike. And that prodigious poke out of Forbes Field coming at Ruth’s advanced decline is mind boggling. Any idea how far it travelled?
So sad he never managed. Just a damn shame. He probably would have been a good manager.
And I agree with the fantastic Herr Schaefer that the last bomb of Ruth’s storybook career was nothing short of mind-boggling. It must have gone at least 400 feet to the wall in right-center before clearing the (89-foot) roof out there, then landing in somebody’s back yard across the street. In those days, the centerfield fence stood 462 feet from home plate, and it was 376 feet down the line in right. (If only I had paid better attention in trigonometry.)
To think that Ruth was a 40-year-old “shadow of his former self” by then, as Gary reminds us; that in 25 years of play at Forbes Field nobody had ever managed to scale the roof with a fair ball, and that this shot was the very last of The Babe’s 714 major-league home runs! He definitely did not take good care of himself. The many tales of his self-destructive behavior are by no means apocryphal. He was fatigued, creaky, and more or less done for, before what should have been his time. And yet, he was able to summon one final “big bang” on which to call it a career. Pretty amazing.
Would he have made a good manager? We don’t know — but here again, I happen to agree with Sir Wilhelm: He certainly had the knowledge, and temperament, to help a decent team succeed.
Baseball sure has its highs and lows. What a way to end a career – with pitchers not wanting to pitch. I hope Babe at least drew a crowd to watch the messy season. Great story. You’re right. He looks miserable in a lot of photos.
Thanks Sue, great to hear from you.