Some transactions are better off
not made. The one that sent
George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees should never even have been
thought of. On December 26, 1919 Boston shipped Ruth off to New York for the then-princely sum of $100,000. Still, adjusted for inflation, that's only $1,412,418.18.
For Babe Ruth? Up to that point, Ruth had spent six seasons in
Carmine Hose—mostly as an elite starting pitcher (89-46, 2.19 ERA). He started 143 games for the Red Sox over that span—
and completed 105 of them! But in his final season with the Red Sox, he was starting to show his offensive prowess as well. In 1919, Ruth hit .322 with 29 HRs and 113 RBIs—
leading the AL in the latter two categories! He
also led the league in on-base percentage (.456), slugging (.657), OPS (1.114), and runs scored (103). No wonder
Harry Frazee dumped this stiff! Today is
The Babe's 120th birthday. It's a good time to reflect upon what
might have been.
