Babe Ruth played his first major league game 99 years ago this week, on July 11, 1914. To mark the occasion, here are 99 things you may not know about the greatest player in baseball history, presented in chronological order, as well as a few myths that have been debunked.
Growing Up
1. His real name was George Herman Ruth, as was his father’s. He is the only player with that last name in major league history.
Get SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's best stories every weekday. Sign up now.
2. His birth date is now widely accepted as Feb. 6, 1895, but Ruth lived his entire life convinced that he was born on Feb. 7, 1894. The birth certificate with that date was for an unnamed male child in the Ruth family. Ruth’s parents lost six children in infancy, including two pairs of twins, with only George and his sister Mary Margaret, known as Mamie, surviving.
3. Ruth lived for a time on the site of what is now Oriole Park at Camden Yards, above one of his father’s string of saloons.
