PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Home run numbers 712, 713 and 714 were smashed into low earth orbit by Babe Ruth at Forbes Field in Oakland on May 25, 1935. Ruth’s last career home runs set a major league record that would stand until 1974, when Hank Aaron surpassed it on his way to 755.
Ruth had only played in Pittsburgh one previous time, when the Yankees defeated the Pirates in the 1927 World Series. By the time he returned in 1935, the Bambino had become an aging player whose titanic hits would become his final hurrah before retiring eight days later, after several less impressive performances. Had Ruth retired in Pittsburgh, the epitaph on his playing career would have been even more heroic.
The Sultan of Swat had racked up his impressive tally of home runs over a 22-season career, but the game on May 25 was only the second time he’d hit three home runs in a single game.
