This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/22/2019
As record-setting a hitter as the great Babe Ruth was, there's no telling how much more damage "The Sultan of Swat" could have done to the record books had he not been such an accomplished pitcher in the early stages of his career. Limited to just over 1,000 at-bats and 533 games in his six seasons with the Red Sox, Babe could have been worth another 150-200 home runs easily had he played his entire career as an outfielder. Even with his superior pitching skills, the New York Yankees put an end to his tenure on the mound, appearing in just five games on the bump for the Yankees over 14 seasons (winning all five). Ruth also missed a significant amount of time in the 1922 and 1925 seasons, not only giving him further opportunity to pad his home run totals and potentially put his career mark at a number that would remain unchallenged today but costing him the opportunity to have held the American League home run title for 14 years in a row, starting when he was still considered a full-time pitcher. The presented piece is the ultimate in baseball memorabilia, a game-used bat of Hall of Famer Babe Ruth from the heyday of his unprecedented career. Produced during the 1921-31 time period, before model numbers were added, this H&B Louisville slugger has a strong George "Babe" Ruth signature stamping on the barrel with significant use in the form of surface marks, cleat marks, and a crack in the handle. Areas of grain separation are visible, but with a length of 35 inches and weight of 36 ounces, it perfectly matches all of the specifications of 1920s era Ruth bats and exhibits use commensurate with other "Bambino" professional grade ash clubs from the time period. A truly spectacular piece of baseball history!