The Sultan of Swat. The Colossus of Clout. The Great Bambino. In his lifetime, baseball legend George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr., (1895-1948) garnered many nicknames . . . and possibly even more records than that. Now the King of Swing has hit another one out of the park.
Ruth played Major League Baseball for 22 seasons. He started as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. But he’s best known as a hard-hitting outfielder for the New York Yankees. During his career, Ruth set numerous pitching and batting records. So dominant was the Big Bam that two of them still stand.
Last week, the bat used by Ruth to hit his 500th home run sold for more than $1 million at auction.
Another Ruth bat used to hit the first home run out of Yankee Stadium in 1923 sold for nearly $1.3 million in 2004. But neither bat comes close to what a New York Yankees jersey worn by the Rajah of Rap from 1928 to 1930 sold for: $5.64 million.
Baseball memorabilia experts carefully examined the bat to ensure it was the real deal. First, they traced it back to the manufacturer, making sure the size, weight, finish, and model number were correct. Then they examined the bat for unique features such as cleat impressions on the upper part of the barrel (thick part)—since Wali of Wallop had a habit of whacking dirt out of his cleats with his bat.
Ruth hit his 500th homer on August 11, 1929, in a game against the Cleveland Indians. He was the first of just 27 Major League Baseball players to reach the 500th home run mark.
The Babe gave the autographed bat to his friend, Jim Rice, in the 1940s. It’s been in the Rice family for nearly 75 years.
Rice’s son, Terry, stored the bat in a closet for 30 years. He was afraid even to let anyone know he owned such a valuable relic. “I just couldn’t enjoy it; it was hidden away,” Rice told reporters. So he decided to sell the bat. “It just seemed time.”
What would you do if you owned such an important artifact? Keep it hidden? Sell it? Display it?
(This November 11, 2019, photo released by SCP Auctions, Inc., shows the bat used by Babe Ruth to slug his 500th career home run in 1929. CP Auctions, Inc. via AP)
