Babe Ruth's 60th home run, September 30, 1927

[JimL]

Babe Ruth's 60th Home Run 1927	powered by Aeva

[ChromeDome]

And he did that on beer and hot dogs, just think what he would have done if they used roids back then.

[JimL]

I've often wondered how much of a difference steroids would have made with players like Ruth, I don't think it would have mattered that much.  There are many athletes which possess strength, coordination and speed which are certainly important attributes, but I am convinced that superhuman eyesight is the biggest factor that sets people like Ruth apart from the rest of the field.  

I have never been able to find any numbers on the Babe's actual eyesight but it is almost certain that it was in the league of Ted Williams whose eyesight was measured at 20/10 (Williams could see stuff at 20 feet that a person with 20/20 vision could see at 10 feet).  They would test Williams eyesight ability with a tar covered bat.  He would hit a fast ball and then tell the bystander where on the ball the bat hit, they would then retrieve the ball and very rarely was Ted mistaken!

Anyway 83 years ago today, the Babe made history and in my mind his record was only topped by Roger Maris (in a longer playing season).

[valkmc]

I think it is hard to judge different athletes during different periods. Babe Ruth hit balls going 80-85 miles per hour. He very rarely faced a relief pitcher. I would like to know how many of his HR were hit in late ininings when a starter had thrown 120 pitches. He was the best by far in his era and to me it is more important to realize how much he dominated. It is great to read the stories of him out all night with the ladies then showing up at the park and still being the star.

[JerryB]

I also think the season was shorter than today's.My wife is related to him.Her mom was a Ruth.......JB.

[highcountry]

Also keep in mind that the Babe wasn't in a HR race.  No real competition.  No telling what he could have done if he was competing in a HR race with big $$ at stake.

[thumper]

Babe Ruth's 60th Home Run 1927

Ruth was amazing.  He was the best pitcher in the major leagues before he became an everyday player.  In 1916 he won 23 games and went 24-12 with a 1.76 ERA in 1917.  His 29 2/3 scoreless innings in the World Series was a record that stood for 43 years.

The Babe has the third highest career batting average at .343.  In 1923 he hit .393 with 41 home runs and 131 RBI's.

[thumper]

A little trivia.....

The opening sequence to the TV show Dragnet opened with a badge with the number 714 on it.  This was a tribute to Babe Ruth's career 714 home runs which was the record until "Roid Boy" came along.

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