Babe Ruth as a Boston Brave, 1935: A Miserable Year

 

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Babe Ruth in 1935 Photo Gallery
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 Babe Ruth as a Boston Brave, 1935

I’ve been thinking about Babe Ruth’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 really hard 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 an 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. 

(Check out the Babe Ruth Career Biography on the Baseball Scouter website) 

Anyway…here’s a few interesting excerpts from the Babe Ruth Wikipedia page about his short time with the Braves. I’ve also posted a few photos from the Leslie Jones Boston Public Library Baseball Collection from what was the Bambino’s last, very forgettable year in the majors. It’s a shame such a wonderful career ended on such a sour note:

“The 1935 Boston Braves season saw the Braves finish with the worst record in the National League and the majors, with 38 wins and 115 losses. In an attempt to make his dream come true to manage, Babe Ruth came to the Braves in February 1935. He was hired as vice president and assistant manager, and team owner Emil Fuchs promised Ruth a share of team profits.”

“On opening day, Babe Ruth was part of all of the Braves’ runs in a 4–2 win over the New York Giants. However, Ruth was only a shadow of his former self. Although he had a fairly decent season in 1934, years of high living had begun taking their toll on his conditioning. His deterioration became more pronounced in early 1935. He couldn’t run, and his fielding was so terrible that three of the Braves’ pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth was in the lineup. A month into the season, Ruth stopped hitting as well.”

“Seeing the team in utter collapse and realizing he was finished even as a part-time player, Ruth retired on June 1, six days after a very memorable afternoon. He had clouted the last three home runs of his career in a game at Forbes Field against the Pirates. Ruth went 4-for-4 that day, though the Braves lost the game 11–7. The final home run sailed over the upper deck in right field and out of the ballpark, the first time anyone had hit a fair ball completely out of Forbes Field.”

“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.”

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.

-GL

Information Reference: Check out the Babe Ruth Career Biography on the Baseball Scouter website 

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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