Ruth’s passing stunned baseball world

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was bigger than the game – and still stands as one of the most recognizable baseball players of all-time.

On Aug. 16, 1948, just two months after he appeared at Yankee Stadium to have his No. 3 retired by the Yankees, Ruth passed away at the age of 53. It was the end of an era.

Ruth was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1946, and doctors were unable to stop the disease from spreading.

Ruth’s body was shown at the entrance of Yankee Stadium and thousands of fans came to pay their respects to Ruth. Thousands also attended his funeral mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

“I’m deeply shocked, deeply shocked,” Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler said to the Associated Press at the time of Ruth’s death. “His death will be a deep distress. He was one of my personal friends. And it grieves me greatly that we’ve lost him.”

“The Bambino” established himself as an American icon during his career and was a larger-than-life figure whose story lives on today.

The Baltimore, Md., native began his career with the International League’s Baltimore Orioles before he was purchased by the Red Sox on July 9, 1914.

Seen by the Sox as more of a pitcher at the beginning of his career, Ruth debuted as a 19-year-old on July 11, 1914, throwing seven innings while allowing two earned runs to pick up his first-career win. In six years as a pitcher in Boston, the lefty went 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA and 105 complete games.

Ruth had shown potential at the plate during his time as a pitcher, hitting .299 with nine home runs and an .828 OPS in 407 plate appearances from 1914-17. During the 1918 season, the Red Sox played Ruth in the outfield and at first base in addition to keeping him on the mound. In 317 at-bats, the 23-year-old Ruth hit .300 and led the league in homers (11), slugging percentage (.555) and OPS (.966).

During his time with the Red Sox, Ruth helped lead the team to World Series titles in 1915, 1916 and 1918.

One year after the 1918 title, the Red Sox fell to sixth place in the American League.

Ruth broke out at the plate, though, leading the league with 29 home runs, 103 runs and 113 RBI. His 29 home runs set a new MLB single-season record.

In the offseason, the Yankees made arguably the most impactful transaction in franchise history when they purchased Ruth from the Red Sox for $100,000 on Dec. 26, 1919.

The rest is history.

The Yankees saw the potential Ruth had at the plate rather than on the mound. In his first season with the Yankees, the left-handed slugger launched a major league leading 54 home runs in 1920, only to surpass his own record one year later with 59 in 1921.

In 1923, Yankee Stadium opened and Ruth benefitted from the short porch in right field. He posted a career-high .393 batting average and hit 41 home runs en route to leading the Yanks to their first World Series title in 1923.