American legend Babe Ruth (1895–1947) lived and played the game of baseball with passionate gusto, unmatched power, and a swagger that changed the sport forever.

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way,” he once said. “Watch my dust.” Ruth wasn’t just a slugger—he was a force of nature who inspired millions with boldness and confidence.

Born George Herman Ruth, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland, he endured a difficult childhood. Poverty and abandonment led him to an orphanage—but it was there, in that unlikely place, that he learned how to play baseball. What began as loss became a gift. There is always goodness to be found, if you look deeply.

He loved the game with all his heart. “I won’t be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat,” he said with characteristic hope and vision.

At 19, Ruth signed with the Baltimore Orioles, then was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he thrived as a left-handed pitcher. But when he joined the New York Yankees in 1919, he became a home run machine—blasting a record 29 that first season.

“The only real game, I think, in the world is baseball,” he declared. For Ruth, the game was life itself.

The Babe hit 54 home runs the next year and an incredible 60 in 1927. In an era darkened by the 1919 Black Sox scandal and the Great Depression, Ruth gave fans hope. He became more than a ballplayer—he was a symbol of strength, resilience, and joy.

“I had only one superstition,” he admitted. “I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.”

With a career total of 714 home runs, six RBI titles, and a lifetime batting average of .342, Ruth was the highest-paid player of his time. On this day in 1935, he officially retired from the game he loved.

He always credited his teammates for his success: “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”