TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

February 26, 1935, the New York Yankees release longtime star outfielder Babe Ruth, freeing him to sign a $20,000 contract with the National League’s Boston Braves. Ruth’s new contract with the Braves also gives him a share of the team’s profits.

In 1934, Ruth had endured one of his worst seasons with the Yankees, at least by his lofty standards, with a .288 batting average, 22 home runs, and 84 RBIs. This season, he will play just only 28 games for the Braves before announcing his retirement on June 2nd at the age of 40.

May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth flashed his greatness one final, glorious time. That afternoon, he hit three home runs; the last one, the first ball ever to be hit completely out of that park! He crushed the ball so convincingly that the Pirate players simply stood and watched it disappear behind the stands. The crowd of 10,000 let loose a mighty roar as the old slugger hobbled around the bases. When he rounded third, the pitcher, Guy Bush, tipped his cap to the Babe, who smiled and saluted back. It was the last home run he would ever hit, number 714. At that point in baseball history, no other player had ever hit even half that many. It was a record that would stand for nearly four decades. See the footage here. A week later, Ruth announced his retirement from baseball. From that time until the day he died, he waited and waited for a call from some team, any team, to become a major league manager. A call that would never come. Smoky Joe Wood details this on the Podcast.

Babe Ruth is the largest figure in Baseball history, no other name is as synonymous with a sport than Babe Ruth and baseball and for many years Babe Ruth and America.

Historic Days!

Born: Rip Collins February 26, 1896 in Weatherford, TX Once described as a pitcher with a million dollars worth of talent and 25 cents worth of enthusiasm, Collins apparently played baseball only to support his real pleasures: hunting and fishing in the off-season, bright lights and parties during the season. He claimed to have become a beer drinker at age six, and his nickname came from a pre-Prohibition brand of whiskey. A four-sport star at Texas A & M, Collins won 14 games as a Yankee rookie in 1920, matched that figure with the Red Sox in 1922, and again with the Tigers in '24. He later became a law enforcement officer in Texas.

Born: February 26, 1933 in Minneapolis, MN Johnny Blanchard savored his position as the Yankees' third-string catcher for most of his career. A defensive liability, he nearly quit in 1960 when Casey Stengel considered activating 40-year-old bullpen coach Jim Hegan to back up Yogi Berra while Elston Howard was injured. Stengel reconsidered, and Blanchard responded in 1961 with adequate defense and a career-best .305, 21 HR season. Blanchard holds the record with ten World Series pinch-hitting appearances.

February 26, 1935, the New York Yankees release longtime star outfielder Babe Ruth, freeing him to sign a $20,000 contract with the National League’s Boston Braves. Ruth’s new contract with the Braves also gives him a share of the team’s profits. In 1934, Ruth had endured one of his worst seasons with the Yankees, at least by his lofty standards, with a .288 batting average, 22 home runs, and 84 RBIs. This season, he will play just only 28 games for the Braves before announcing his retirement on June 2nd at the age of 40. Ruth will hit the final three home runs of his major league career on May 25th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving him a total of 714. His last home run will clear the right field grandstand at Forbes Field and will travel an estimated 600 feet.

February 26, 1943 — The Philadelphia Phillies hire Bucky Harris as their manager. It is the fourth major league club Harris has led. He also managed the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, not counting two stints – later three – with the Washington Senators. Clark Griffith, Rogers Hornsby, Donnie Bush and Bill McKechnie have also managed four clubs. Harris will compile a record of 38-52 in 92 games before being fired, but will resurface as manager of the 1947 World Champions New York Yankees. He will finish his managing career with Detroit in 1956.

February 26, 1957 -- The New York Giants trade future hall of fame right-hander Hoyt Wilhelm to the St. Louis Cardinals for their former All-Star first baseman/outfielder Whitey Lockman. The knuckleballer will win only one of five decisions for the Cardinals before being selected off waivers by Cleveland in September, and New York's newest infielder will spend two seasons with his old club, hitting .246 in 225 games over that span.

Wilhelm, 34 at the time will go on to pitch until he is 49 years old appearing in 709 games going 99-93 with a 2.29 ERA, he saved 175 games before saves were an official stat.

February 26 , 1987 — The owner of a Houston sports bar begins a campaign to raise $70,000 for Astros slugger Glenn Davis. That’s what separates the Astros and Davis on a one-year contract, according to his agent Gerry Hunsicker. The two sides would eventually agree to meet roughly halfway. Davis is humbled by the public’s show of support but declines taking their money.

February 26, 1991 -- Bill Veeck, the colorful owner of the Browns, Indians and White Sox (twice), and Yankees great Tony Lazzeri are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Todays featured clip:

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Name the play Babe Ruth was sold for?  

Answer in tomorrows newsletter

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Birthday Boys!

 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Steve Carlton was the first lefty to surpass 3,000 strikeouts and for two seasons he had a back and forth race with Nolan Ryan for the All time lead. To get there in 1983 he passed three pitchers. Who were they?

Entering the 1983 season, three pitchers were within 100 strikeouts of Walter Johnson's record of 3,508, a mark "The Big Train" had held since topping Cy Young's 2,803 in 1921. Closing in on the record, Nolan Ryan was second, 14 away, Gaylord Perry third, 56 away, and Carlton fourth, 74 back. Though Ryan was the first to pass Johnson, by the end of the year Carlton's huge 275 strikeout season surpassed first Perry, then Johnson, and finally Ryan, 3,709 to 3,677, to take the overall lead. Perry, who was in his final season, was never again a factor, though he too would surpass Johnson before retiring with 3,534 strikeouts.

Passings.

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