Harry Frazee needed cash for his Broadway productions. The New York Yankees needed a franchise player. On January 3, 1920, both parties solved each other's problems in a transaction so one-sided that Boston wouldn't recover for 86 years.
Babe Ruth came to the Bronx for $100,000 and a loan against Fenway Park. What the Yankees got was the most transformative player in the sport's history -- a left-handed pitcher turned outfielder who hit more home runs by himself than entire American League teams managed during his first New York summer. They got the man who made Yankee Stadium necessary. They got the player who rewrote the rulebook while everyone else was still reading the old one.
The Trade That Changed Everything
On January 3, 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 -- a transaction that would become the most consequential in baseball history. Frazee needed cash to finance his Broadway productions, and Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert saw an opportunity to build a championship franchise around the game's most electrifying player.
The deal launched what became known as the "Curse of the Bambino" in Boston and inaugurated a dynasty in the Bronx that would span decades. Boston wouldn't win another World Series for 86 years. The Yankees, meanwhile, won their first within four.
The 1920 Season: Baseball's Big Bang
Ruth's first year in pinstripes didn't just break records -- it broke the sport wide open. He hit 54 home runs, more than any other American League team hit that year. The previous single-season record? Twenty-nine -- set by Ruth himself the year before. He nearly doubled it.
The numbers across the board were staggering: a .376 batting average, 137 RBI, and a 1.379 OPS that still ranks among the highest single-season marks ever recorded. Fans packed the Polo Grounds to see him, and attendance at Yankees home games nearly doubled from the previous season. Ruth wasn't just playing baseball. He was putting on a show (on a day when the sport desperately needed one), and all of New York wanted a ticket.
That season changed the economics of the sport. The Yankees' soaring gate receipts gave ownership the financial muscle to build their own ballpark -- and within three years, Yankee Stadium rose in the Bronx, fittingly nicknamed "The House That Ruth Built."
Yankees Career
| Games | 2,084 |
| Batting Average | .349 |
| Home Runs | 659 |
| RBI | 1,978 |
| OPS | 1.195 |
| WAR (Yankees) | 142.4 |
| World Series Titles | 4 |
| AL MVP Awards | 1 |
Ruth led the Yankees to seven American League pennants and four World Series championships during his 15 seasons in New York (1920--1934). He was the centerpiece of the legendary 1927 "Murderers' Row" lineup, widely considered the greatest baseball team ever assembled, where he hit 60 home runs -- a record that stood for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it in 1961.
Ruth and Lou Gehrig formed the most feared batting tandem in history. From 1925 to 1934, they hit back-to-back in the lineup, combining for over 850 home runs as Yankees teammates. Their relationship was complicated -- a personal falling-out in the early 1930s meant the two barely spoke during their final seasons together -- but on the field, no pair ever terrorized pitchers the way they did.
Every big leaguer and his wife should teach their children to pray: 'God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, and God bless Babe Ruth.'
The Called Shot and Other Legends
Ruth's career was built on moments that became mythology. The Called Shot in the 1932 World Series is the most famous -- pointing (or maybe just gesturing) toward center field at Wrigley before depositing Charlie Root's pitch exactly there. Whether he truly called it remains baseball's greatest debate, but it doesn't really matter. The fact that people believed he could do it tells you everything about how the public saw Ruth.
If he'd have pointed to the stands, I'd have knocked him on his rear end with the next pitch.
His 1928 World Series performance was equally absurd: a .625 batting average with three home runs in a four-game sweep of the Cardinals. He hit three homers in Game 4 alone (a feat so ridiculous that Cardinals manager Bill McKechnie reportedly just watched and shook his head). By the time he crossed home plate for the last time in that series, the Cardinals looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.
Key Moments
Acquired from Red Sox
The most impactful transaction in baseball history brings Ruth to the Bronx for $100,000 and a loan against Fenway Park.
54 Home Runs in a Single Season
Ruth shatters the single-season home run record with 54 -- more than any AL team hit that year. Attendance at Yankees games nearly doubles.
Yankee Stadium Opens
The House That Ruth Built opens in the Bronx. Ruth christens it with a three-run home run in the third inning. The stadium nickname is earned immediately.
60th Home Run
Ruth hits his 60th homer of the season off Tom Zachary, setting a record that would stand until 1961. The "Murderers' Row" Yankees finish 110-44.
1928 World Series Dominance
Ruth bats .625 with 3 home runs as the Yankees sweep the Cardinals in the World Series. Three of those homers come in Game 4 alone.
The Called Shot
In Game 3 of the World Series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Ruth allegedly points to center field before hitting a home run to that exact spot. Whether he truly called his shot remains baseball's greatest debate.
Hall of Fame Inaugural Class
Ruth is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in its inaugural class, receiving 95.1% of ballots -- the second-highest total among the five original inductees.
Final Appearance at Yankee Stadium
A frail Ruth makes his last public appearance at Yankee Stadium for the 25th anniversary of "The House That Ruth Built." His number 3 is retired -- only the second number retired in Yankees history.
The House He Built
Ruth didn't just play for the Yankees. He made the Yankees what they are. The stadium he filled was nicknamed after him before it had an official name. The franchise's reputation for power, spectacle, and outsized personalities -- that template was set by one man in pinstripes who swung for the upper deck whether the situation called for it or not.
The men who followed him carried his shadow. Joe DiMaggio inherited the mantle of Yankees greatness in the late 1930s. Mickey Mantle carried it through the 1950s and '60s. Roger Maris chased Ruth's single-season record in 1961 and caught grief from fans who didn't want the Babe's mark disturbed (commissioner Ford Frick even tried to put an asterisk on it). Even today, when Aaron Judge launches a ball into the upper deck, the comparisons circle back to Ruth. They always do -- and at this point, they always will.
Ruth's #3 was retired on June 13, 1948 -- only the second number retired in Yankees history, nine years after Lou Gehrig became the first. He was inducted into the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class in 1936. The House That Ruth Built was torn down in 2008. The comparisons never stopped.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many home runs did Babe Ruth hit for the Yankees?
Babe Ruth hit 659 home runs during his 15 seasons with the New York Yankees (1920--1934). His single-season record of 60 home runs, set in 1927, stood for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it in 1961.
When was Babe Ruth traded to the Yankees?
Babe Ruth was sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees on January 3, 1920, for $100,000. This trade is considered the most consequential in baseball history and launched the Yankees dynasty.
How many World Series did Babe Ruth win with the Yankees?
Babe Ruth won four World Series championships with the Yankees: 1923, 1927, 1928, and 1932. He also won three World Series with the Red Sox (1915, 1916, 1918) for a career total of seven.
What was Babe Ruth's 'Called Shot'?
Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" occurred during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field. According to legend, Ruth pointed to center field before hitting a home run to that exact spot off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root. Whether Ruth actually called his shot remains one of baseball's most enduring debates.
Was Babe Ruth a pitcher before he became a hitter?
Yes. Ruth began his career as a left-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and was one of the best in the American League. He went 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA over six seasons in Boston and threw 29⅔ consecutive scoreless World Series innings -- a record that stood for 43 years. The Red Sox gradually moved him to the outfield to get his bat in the lineup every day, and by the time he arrived in New York, he was a full-time position player.
Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 146 | 521 | 151 | 188 | 28 | 9 | 50 | 154 | 138 | 61 | 10 | .361 | .480 | .737 | 1.217 |
| 1931 | 146 | 537 | 150 | 200 | 31 | 3 | 47 | 164 | 129 | 51 | 5 | .372 | .495 | .704 | 1.199 |
| 1932 | 136 | 466 | 122 | 160 | 13 | 5 | 41 | 140 | 134 | 64 | 2 | .343 | .492 | .657 | 1.149 |
| 1933 | 138 | 462 | 99 | 139 | 21 | 3 | 35 | 105 | 115 | 90 | 4 | .301 | .442 | .587 | 1.029 |
| 1934 | 126 | 368 | 78 | 106 | 17 | 4 | 22 | 86 | 106 | 64 | 1 | .288 | .450 | .535 | .985 |
| Career | 2118 | 7334 | 2001 | 2561 | 429 | 109 | 671 | 2005 | 1885 | 1145 | 113 | .349 | .482 | .712 | 1.194 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 6 | 16 | -- | 5 | -- | -- | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | .313 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1922 | 5 | 17 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | .118 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1923 | 6 | 19 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | 3 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | .368 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1926 | 7 | 20 | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 4 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | .300 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1927 | 4 | 15 | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 2 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | .400 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1928 | 4 | 16 | -- | 10 | -- | -- | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | .625 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1932 | 4 | 15 | -- | 5 | -- | -- | 2 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | .333 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 36 | 118 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .347 | .347 | .729 | 1.076 |