The Babe’s Called Shot
In the top of the fifth inning, Joe Sewell led off for the Yankees and grounded out to short. Up next was “The Babe” – already a larger than life figure. As he stepped to the plate, the Cubs’ bench was riding him mercilessly. Babe would yell and gesture back. With the count 2 balls and two strikes, Ruth seemed to point two fingers toward center field. Then he belted the next pitch deep in the center field seats.
This photo shows Babe Ruth after hitting that mammoth home run. He is greeted at home plate by Lou Gehrig. Looking on is the Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett. Gehrig would follow with a home run, giving each player two for the day. But it was Ruth’s second home run that would garner all the ink in the next day’s papers.
Ruth would confirm that he did call the home run. Charlie Root would say that he was giving two fingers to the crowd showing he had two strikes on him and still had one left.
Decades later, people still argue whether he was pointing or not. It will always remain in baseball folklore.
John Horne is the coordinator of rights and reproductions at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
