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Babe Ruth stood up for his [[Catholic]] [[faith]], saying it provided him a good standard against which to measure himself.  Brother Mathias, a monk at the reformatory, introduced the young Ruth to baseball, and by age 15 he was a phenomenal pitcher and hitter.<ref>http://www.biography.com/people/babe-ruth-9468009?page=1</ref>  His talent subsequently caught the attention of the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, then a farm team for the Boston Red Sox, and by age 19 George Herman Ruth had a major league contract.  By 1918 Ruth had led the Red Sox to two World Series championships, and still holds the record for pitching 13 scoreless innings in a World Series game.

Babe Ruth stood up for his [[Catholic]] [[faith]], saying it provided him a good standard against which to measure himself.  Brother Mathias, a monk at the reformatory, introduced the young Ruth to baseball, and by age 15 he was a phenomenal pitcher and hitter.<ref>http://www.biography.com/people/babe-ruth-9468009?page=1</ref>  His talent subsequently caught the attention of the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, then a farm team for the Boston Red Sox, and by age 19 George Herman Ruth had a major league contract.  By 1918 Ruth had led the Red Sox to two World Series championships, and still holds the record for pitching 13 scoreless innings in a World Series game.

The Red Sox sold the rights to him for $100,000 in 1919 (a massive amount of money today) because the owner needed the cash to pay off debts.  Then Ruth was converted to play in every game as an outfielder for the [[New York Yankees]]. He hit 714 home runs, a record until [[Hank Aaron]] broke it in the 1970's, and also set a record by hitting 60 home runs in a single season in 1927.  That record stood until [[Roger Maris]] hit 61 home runs in 1961. It should be noted that the length of the season had been increased by 1961, and Ruth hit 60 home runs in fewer games.  More recently several players hit more home runs in a season, but those achievements have been questioned and they were prior to mandatory testing for performance-enhancing drugs.   

The Red Sox sold the rights to him for $100,000 in 1919 (a massive amount of money today) because the owner needed the cash to pay off debts.  Then Ruth was converted to play in every game as an outfielder for the [[New York Yankees]]. He hit 714 home runs, a record until [[Hank Aaron]] broke it in the 1970's, and also set a record by hitting 60 home runs in a single season in 1927.  That record stood until [[Roger Maris]] hit 61 home runs in 1961.<ref>It should be noted that the length of the season had been increased by 1961, and Ruth hit 60 home runs in fewer games.  More recently several players hit more home runs in a season, but those achievements have been questioned and they were prior to mandatory testing for performance-enhancing drugs.  In 2022, [[Aaron Judge]] would break Ruth's record in fewer games.</ref>

Many polls place Babe Ruth as the number one player of all time.  The New York Yankees, with Ruth on the Team, won seven [[American League]] Pennants and four [[World Series]] titles.  But [[Ty Cobb]] received more votes for the [[Hall of Fame]] when they were inducted in 1936, and in terms of public perception Ty Cobb may have been disadvantaged for not trying to hit home runs or playing for the media-centered New York Yankees.

Many polls place Babe Ruth as the number one player of all time.  The New York Yankees, with Ruth on the Team, won seven [[American League]] Pennants and four [[World Series]] titles.  But [[Ty Cobb]] received more votes for the [[Hall of Fame]] when they were inducted in 1936, and in terms of public perception Ty Cobb may have been disadvantaged for not trying to hit home runs or playing for the media-centered New York Yankees.