Historic Baseball Players

In the early 20^th century baseball was considered a low-scoring sport. Until that is that Babe Ruth joined the game. George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. played for 22 season between 1914 and 1935. His famous nicknames you may know him by were “The Bamnino”, or “The Sultan of Swat”. His rise to fame began while he was playing for the Boston Red Sox as a left handed pitcher. Later on in his career he played outfield for the New York Yankees. Babe Ruth’s Career included over 700 home runs, over 2,000 runs batted in, and over 2,000 in bases on balls. Ruth was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He was one of the first five to ever be inducted. He is looked upon as on the best players of all time.

When Jackie Robinson joined the game it was a literal game changer. He was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. He started his career as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson had a remarkable career for 10 years. He received the MLB Rookie of the Year award in 1947, and then in 1949 he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He was the first African American to receive such awards. His career included playing in 6 World Series, and winning one in 1955. Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. He wore number 42, and it was retired all across MLB teams in 1997. He was the first pro athlete ever to receive this honor in any sport.  

 
Mickey Mantle was one of the most humble and kind men to play baseball. He never acted a famous as he was. He was unfortunately plagued with injuries but that never stopped him from continuing to play the game and win top awards at that. Mantle almost had his career cut short from osteomyelitis. Effects of the disease lasted his entire life and could be the reason for his other injuries that caused much of the loss of speed he had when he first started playing the game. Mickey Mantle was the greatest switch hitter to ever play the game. He played his entire 18 year career for the New York Yankees. From 1953 to 1955 he averaged 28 home runs, 98 RBI, and 118 runs per season. He also batted over .300 in two of those years. He was the top player in 1955 for the AL in home runs.