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The Heart-Warming Story of Babe Ruth and Little Johnny Sylvester

“I’ll knock a homer for Wednesday’s game. Babe Ruth” –Inscription on a baseball scrawled by Babe Ruth during the 1926 World Series and given to little Johnny Sylvester, recovering from a near-fatal illness.

Here’s a nice follow-up to my recent post on the 1926 World Series:

One of baseball’s most enduring legends occurred during the 1926 World Series. Of course it had to involve none-other-than the great Bambino himself. We’re all aware the Babe had his share of personal shortcomings (and don’t we all!); but when there was a kid in need, no one was more likely to come through in a big way than the Babe.

The Babe’s Famous Promise:

In 1926, little Yankee fan Johnny Sylvester was just 11 years old, recuperating from a horseback riding accident that resulted in a serious bone infection. He was hospitalized near his home in Essex Falls, New Jersey. The prognosis wasn’t good. The Yankees got word of Johnny’s illness and so during a rain delay in Game Three of the World Series in St. Louis, a few ball players signed a baseball just for Johnny. Babe Ruth inscribed more than just his signature, though. He penned his famous promise: “I’ll knock a homer for you in Wednesday’s game.”

In the classic photo below, we see the Babe and little Johnny together. Johnny still has a bandage on his forehead from his horseback riding injury. Thanks again to Don Stokes for another super colorization which really helps bring the story to life.

The Bambino Delivers:

On Wednesday, October 6, 1926 – Game Four of the series, a 10-5 Yankee victory – the Babe delivered on his promise…and then some! Amazingly, he didn’t hit just one homer, he hit three. On the day after Game Seven, Oct. 11, Ruth personally visited Johnny Sylvester in the hospital in Essex Falls.

Johnny Miraculously Recovers:

And sure enough, something miraculous happened: Against all odds, Johnny’s health gradually started to improve. According to Andrew Lilley, Johnny’s great-nephew, the visit from the Babe changed everything. “Babe Ruth’s home runs and his visit helped Johnny find the will to survive.” On Dec. 16, 1926, Ruth penned another letter to the boy (shown below in comments), inquiring about his recovery and inviting him to Yankee Stadium during the 1927 season “to help win another pennant.” Johnny didn’t just survive…he thrived. He went on to graduate from Yale University in 1937, and later became a successful business owner and much-beloved family man. He even served in the Navy during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant. All because the Babe saved his life…or so the story goes!

Life Turns Full Circle:

Years later, in 1947, the situation had reversed. Now it was Babe Ruth who was ailing and it was Johnny Sylvester’s turn to repay the man who had come to his bedside when he was gravely ill. “The story had come full circle at this point,” Andrew said. “Here was the kid all grown up going back to the Babe and showing the same generosity to his hero, just as the Babe showed him all those years ago.” Reading about this reunion 69 years later, it’s still hard not to shed a tear.

Ruth wasn’t the only sports celebrity to reach out to the ailing boy. “Big Bill” Tilden, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, sent him an autographed tennis racquet. Hall-of-Fame half back “Red” Grange sent a letter and an autographed football. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby, in a rare show of humanity, was another famous athlete who sent little Johnny a letter.

Forty Years Later, Johnny Sylvester Is Found:

In 1986 — the 40th Anniversary of the Johnny Sylvester story — the Babe Ruth Museum tried to investigate the story for authenticity. The Museum eventually tracked down the real Johnny Sylvester, finding him as a retired banker living in Connecticut. When asked for some proof that these events actually happened, Mr. Sylvester produced a baseball with Babe’s handwriting and signature. The ball said, “I’ll knock a homer for Wednesday’s game. Babe Ruth.” The ball is now on display in the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore along with the other artifacts in “The Little Johnny Sylvester Collection.” It’s been on loan to the Babe Ruth Museum for more than 25 years. Johnny Sylvester passed away on January 6, 1990 at age 74 while residing in Garden City, New York.

Is the Story True?:

Is this heart-warming story completely true, or has it been embellished? Was the whole thing a hoax? Maybe we’re falling for a sappy publicity stunt dreamt up by Babe Ruth’s ubiquitous agent and “image-maker,” Christy Walsh. It certainly has that “ring” to it. If so, it was highly successful. The publicity was priceless for Babe Ruth’s image. Years later when asked about the incident, Ruth is purported to have blurted out: “Who the hell is Johnny Sylvester?” True or not, it remains one of the most timeless anecdotes in all of baseball lore; and is one of the great stories contributing to the endearing legacy of the great Bambino, Babe Ruth.

Photo Credits: All from public domain. Thanks to Don Stokes for the colorization of the main photo..

Information: Excerpts edited from “A Babe Ruth Miracle,” by Diana Aydin in Guideposts: https://www.guideposts.org/blogs/lunch-bre