July 11, 1914: Babe Ruth's 1st Major League Game

July 11, 1914: The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Naps, 4-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. The winning pitcher is a 19-year-old lefthander from Baltimore, making his major league debut. His name is George Herman Ruth Jr.

He had been purchased from the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, run by former major league pitcher Jack Dunn. When he got to Boston, the immature kid was known as "Jack Dunn's Baby." This was shortened to "Baby," and then to "Babe." Although some friends continued to call him "George," or the slangy "Jidge," he was pretty much "Babe Ruth" from then on.

He pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 runs, 2 of them earned, on 8 hits. He only struck out 1 batter, but he didn't walk any. Dutch Leonard pitched the last 2 innings, picking up the save.

The Naps got their name from their manager and 2nd baseman, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, who collected his 3,000th career hit later in the season. It would be his last with them. The following season, they became known as the Cleveland Indians. In 2022, they became the Cleveland Guardians.

Lajoie went 0-for-4 against Ruth in this game, but Shoeless Joe Jackson went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Also going 2-for-4 was left fielder Jack Graney, who went on to become the 1st former player to broadcast a Major League Baseball game. Going 1-for-4 was shortstop Ray Chapman. Chapman was there for Ruth's 1st major league game. Six years later, Ruth would be there for Chapman's last. as he became the only MLB player ever to die as the result of an on-field incident.

Ruth himself, showing no sign of what was to come, went 0-for-2 at the plate. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, in his 1st at-bat as a major leaguer, he struck out against Cleveland pitcher Willie Mitchell. In the bottom of the 4th, he hit the ball to right field, where it was caught by Jackson, who would later be better known as a left fielder. Duffy Lewis pinch-hit for Ruth in the bottom of the 7th, as he'd allowed 2 runs in the top half to make it 4-3 Boston, but Leonard made that score hold up.

Tris Speaker went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Larry Gardner went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

It was a successful day for the Red Sox, and Ruth was 1-0 for his career. It would be another 10 months before he hit his 1st major league home run. From 1915 to 1918, Ruth became the best lefthanded pitcher in baseball, going 78-32. Overall, his pitching record would be 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.159 WHIP. Had he continued as a pitcher, without concerning himself with hitting, he could well have been a Hall-of-Famer anyway.

As we now know, that was not the case. After 4 seasons of being a lefthanded pitcher as good as Randy Johnson, he then spent 16 years as a lefthanded hitter better than Ted Williams or even a steroided-up Barry Bonds. Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter, and the greatest player, that baseball has ever known.

But anybody guessing on July 11, 1914 that such a thing would happen would have been considered crazy. At the time, he was a promising rookie, but nobody, not even Ruth himself, knew how far that promise could go -- or in what direction.

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July 11, 1914 was a Saturday. These other games were played. In the American League:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-4 at the Polo Grounds. Center fielder William "Birdie" Cree went 3-for-4 with an RBI in support of Leonard "King" Cole, who relieved Carroll "Boardwalk" Brown, after Brown allowed 4 runs in the top of the 1st inning. (It was a good time for baseball nicknames.)

* A doubleheader was split at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The St. Louis Browns won the opener, 4-3 in 12 innings. The Philadelphia Athletics won the nightcap, 6-4.

* And the Washington Senators beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington. Ty Cobb did not play for the Tigers.

In the National League:

* The New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 13-9 at Robison Field in St. Louis.

* The Brooklyn Robins lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5 at Redland Field (later Crosley Field) in Cincinnati. The Dodgers were in their 1st season with Wilbert Robinson as manager, and were called the Robins until he was fired in 1931.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Honus Wagner went 1-for-3.

* And the Boston Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-2 at West Side Park in Chicago.

In the Federal League:

* The Brooklyn Tip-Tops swept a doubleheader from the Pittsburgh Rebels at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Tip-Tops won the 1st game, 1-0, and the 2nd game, 8-2.

* A doubleheader was played at Terrapin Park in Baltimore. The Baltimore Terrapins won the 1st game, 2-1. The 2nd game was tied, 3-3 after 13 innings, when it was called due to darkness.

* The Indianapolis Hoosiers beat the Chicago Whales, 3-2 at Weeghman Park in Chicago. It was renamed Cubs Park in 1920 and Wrigley Field in 1926.

* And the St. Louis Terriers beat the Kansas City Packers, 6-3 at Handlan's Park in St. Louis.