For fans of the Boston Red Sox, the unthinkable, unimaginable, unfathomable happened 100 years ago with the sale of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.
Ruth, all of 24 years old, had made the transition from star southpaw pitcher to the premier slugger in the game by 1919. Now patrolling left field for Boston, and thanks to his powerful left-handed stroke, he clubbed 29 home runs that set a new single-season big league record. But then the news broke. Ruth would soon be playing 77 game at the Polo Grounds – his home ballpark until Yankee Stadium opened in 1923 - with its short right field fence.
The promissory note documenting the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees is part of the collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)
It was announced on Jan. 5, 1920 – though the transaction had been consummated a week earlier – that Ruth was now a member of a rival American League franchise.
Newspapers across the country shared the news with provocative headlines: “Red Sox Sell Ruth for $100,000 Cash” read the Boston Globe; “Ruth Bought by New York Americans for $125,000, Highest Price in Baseball Annals” blared The New York Times; “New York Yankees Buy Babe Ruth from Boston Red Sox” stated the Chicago Tribune.
