Yankees star and powerful player who was declared not for sale has finally been sold for unresisting currency worth billions of…
The formidable player and star of the Yankees, who was initially listed as not for sale, was eventually sold for an incredible sum of money—billions.
The sale of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees one hundred years ago was an unthinkable, unbelievable, and unfathomable event for Boston Red Sox supporters.
By 1919, Ruth, who was only 24 years old, had gone from being a star southpaw pitcher to the best slugger in the league. With his tremendous left-handed stroke, he now patrols left field for Boston and has hit 29 home runs this season, setting a new big league record. However, the information leaked. Before Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, Ruth would play 77 games at the Polo Grounds, his home ballpark with its short right field fence.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum owns the promissory note that documents Babe Ruth’s trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum/Milo Stewart Jr.)
Although the deal had been completed a week earlier, it was revealed on January 5, 1920, that Ruth had joined a rival American League team.
“Everything about Babe Ruth’s sale from the Red Sox to the Yankees was outsized, like all things Ruthian,” stated Tom Shieber, lead curator of Babe Ruth: His Life and Legend, an exhibit that opened in 2014 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
“The price tag was the highest in sports history, the press relentlessly covered the story, and baseball fans across the country devoured every last detail.” What other acquisition has gained the same degree of enduring recognition in the minds of Americans, maybe with the exception of the Louisiana Purchase?
So how did it happen that, at the very moment that his offensive talent was becoming apparent, Ruth—a legend in his own right—was moved out of Boston? Following a 1919 campaign in which he topped the Junior Circuit in runs scored (103), RBI (113), and home runs (29), the Colossus of Clout demanded a new deal worth $20,000 annually. Ruth had inked a three-year contract worth $10,000 a year with the Red Sox prior to the 1919 season.
When Ruth was waiting for a train to leave Boston for Los Angeles on October 24, 1919, she told the Boston Globe, “You can say for me that I will not play with the Red Sox unless I get $20,000.” Although it might seem like a pipe dream to you, that is the reality. I think that signing a three-year contract to play for $30,000 last year was a mistake. The Boston team recognized my worth, and I believe I should be paid twice as much as my contract stipulates.
“I don’t want to reveal the exact amount, but it was quite expensive. At Red Sox headquarters, Frazee informed the media that Ruth had been sold for a sum the team could not afford to reject. “I would have wanted to have received players in return for Ruth, but the trade had to be made on a monetary basis because no club could have provided me with the equivalent in men without going bankrupt. The Yankees paid more for him than any other team could have afforded, and I don’t mind admitting that I believe they are taking a chance. With the money, the Boston team can now purchase players and strengthen their team overall, surpassing what we would have had if Ruth had stayed with us.
“I do not want to take away in the slightest from Ruth’s value as an attraction or from his skill as a ballplayer, but the fact that the Red Sox finished sixth in the race last season despite his 29 home runs cannot be ignored,” Frazee continued. “I accept that a winning team is what the Boston fans want, and I want it because they want it, instead of a one-man team that finishes in sixth place.”
The back of the promissory note that Babe Ruth used to sign with the Yankees. The US government imposed tax stamps on documents to aid in the repayment of debts accumulated during World War I. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum/Milo Stewart Jr.)
Ruth led the 1919 Red Sox to a 66-71 record at the end of the season, good for sixth place in the eight-team AL. With an 80-59 record, the Yankees came in third place without Ruth. The Yankees, at 95-59 by 1920, were headed for long-term success, while Boston, at 72-81, was still reeling from a long championship drought that would not end until the 2004 World Series.
“It is not only our intention, but a strong life purpose, moreover, to give the loyal American League fans of greater New York an opportunity to root for our team in a world’s series,” Ruppert continued, hinting at what was to come. Whatever the cost, we are going to give them a pennant winner. Ruth’s joining our forces should, in my opinion, be largely based on those broad principles. Fans should relax knowing that we don’t plan to stop there, though. We will eventually have the greatest team that has ever been assembled anywhere.
Ruth claimed not to be surprised by the sale to New York, saying, “When I made my demand on the Red Sox for $20,000 a year, I had an idea they would choose to sell me rather than pay the increase, and I knew the Yankees were the most probable purchasers in that event.” Ruth was contacted in Los Angeles, where Yankees manager Miller Huggins helped secure a contract that would pay the home run king $20,000 per season in 1920 and ’21.
Bob Shawkey, the pitcher for the Yankees, was present at the team’s offices when Ruppert made the sale announcement. He exclaimed, “Gee, I’m glad that guy isn’t going to hit against me anymore.” Every time you confront him, you put your life in danger. You simply hurl whatever comes to mind, say a prayer, and run for your life as the pitch comes out.
Although Ruth’s official sale price was not disclosed to the public at the time of the purchase, estimates were made. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Michael Haupert, an economist, collated evidence indicating that the real purchase price was $100,000. New York was to pay the first installment on December 19, 1919, and the remaining amounts were to be paid in four yearly payments of $25,000. The interest rate was set at six percent.
In 1914, Babe Ruth joined the Red Sox to start his career. Ruth’s contract was sold to the Yankees after the 1919 season. (The National Museum and Hall of Fame for Baseball)
According to Haupert’s book The Babe, “there were reports when news of the sale first broke that the deal was more complicated than the simple cash transaction announced by Colonel Ruppert.” There were rumors that there was more to the transaction, that Frazee would receive a loan from the Yankees in the range of $300,000 to $400,000. Here, the rumors turned out to be accurate. $300,000 was a personal loan from Ruppert to Frazee on May 25, 1920, secured by Fenway Park. It was very much a part of the Ruth transaction because Frazee owned the Red Sox and Ruppert owned half of the Yankees, and Fenway Park served as collateral for the loan.
The Ruth promissory note, dated December 26, 1919, was donated to the Hall of Fame in 1999 and is now a part of its permanent collection. Ruppert and Frazee have signed the note, which is for $25,000.
According to Hall of Fame Librarian James Gates, “the 1919 promissory note for the sale of Babe Ruth from Boston to New York is a critical piece of baseball history.” “The outcome of this deal had long-term effects on baseball’s rise in popularity as America’s National Pastime as well as immediate effects on the caliber of both teams for many years to come.
Babe Ruth started his major league career with the Red Sox as a pitcher. However, after the 1919 season, the Yankees acquired his contract, Ruth moved to the outfield and became the most renowned slugger in baseball. (The National Museum and Hall of Fame for Baseball)
This incident marks a turning point in both American and baseball history. We are happy to have this document in our collection of archival materials. It also demonstrates the value of perseverance and patience in our efforts to expand our collections, as we did not obtain this item until 80 years after the original incident.
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