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Braves History: Babe Ruth Makes Final Appearance
Although he is remembered for his time with the New York Yankees as the game's premier home run hitter, Babe Ruth ended his career with the Boston Braves. On this day in 1935, Ruth made his final appearance as a major leaguer.
The story of how Babe Ruth came to the Braves is relatively complex. The New York Yankees, and Ruth himself, knew he was likely done as a player. However, Ruth wanted to manage, and having that chance would be the only way he would depart from the Yankees. Team owner Jacob Ruppert spent the 1934 offseason trying to find a taker for Ruth, with Braves owner Emil Fuchs finally coming through with a plan that would be acceptable for all sides.
In exchange to agree to the trade, Ruth was named the Braves vice president, and was to be consulted on all transactions. He would also be the assistant manager, with an eye to taking over the spot should current manager Bill McKechnie depart. Fuchs promised Ruth a share of the profits, with the potential of becoming a co-owner. Understandably, Ruth jumped at the offer, and the move was consummated.
However, Ruth quickly learned that Fuchs lied to him. Instead of sharing profits, Fuchs tried to get Ruth to invest his own money in the team. That, coupled with his lack of production at the plate, led to Ruth stating that he would retire. However, the Braves owner convinced the former slugger to stay on through Memorial Day, allowing those teams on the upcoming western road trip to honor the home run king.
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Ruth had his moments on that trip. He hit his final three home runs in a game against the Pirates, with his final home run sailing entirely out of Forbes Field. However, he struggled afterwards, and on this day in 1935, Ruth had his final at bat, grounding out to end his storied career.
As poor as Ruth's time with the Braves was, Fuchs also did not see his time end well. After the team went 38–115, to have the worst record in the modern history of the National League, Fuchs went bankrupt. He gave up control of the Braves, and the NL took the franchise over. One has to imagine he saw the writing on the wall, hence his attempts to get as much money from Ruth as possible.
Babe Ruth made his final appearance as a major leaguer on this day in 1935. Instead of going out with a bang, his career ended with a groundout.
