While some of the best pitchers of his era were not enough to tame the booming bat of Babe Ruth, a smaller foe was apparently able to take down the Swat King.
In this unique Paul Thompson photo, circa 1920, Babe Ruth is pictured with his right arm bandaged up. The injury was a result of a mosquito bite, which struck The Babe down with blood poisoning. The bite certainly appeared to take its toll on The Great Bambino — his arm was even in a sling as he recovered from the ailment.
The 6.5×8.5 photo, plucked from the archives of Baseball Magazine, features Ruth in full uniform as he presents an autographed baseball to the beautiful Dorothy Jardon.
Jardon was an opera singer and actress who lent her talents to the Chicago Opera, among other productions.
The photo of Ruth and Jardon features extensive notes by on the back. It has been rated 5/5 in quality with a 7.5/10 overall grade.
The unique image is among the marquee items in RMY Auctions’ November Auction, which runs through Saturday.