Freshly uncovered, unique photos of Babe Ruth don’t come around very often but our Photo of the Day is just that.
This one appears to show Babe Ruth doing something very un-Ruthlike.
The 7×9 ½” image dates to 1921 and comes from a long-forgotten spot in a news archive. The full body image is of the Babe apparently working on his bunting skills or perhaps playing pepper during spring training. It’s one of 1,300 premium photos at RMY Auctions this month.
The photo shows some mild corner and edge wear and identifies Ruth on the back. It was placed into a news archive in May of 1921, a couple of months after it appears to have been taken.
Ruth’s shortball talents took a back seat to home runs and RBI in the 1920s. That season, he became the major leagues’ all-time home run king, a title he would hold for the next 40 years. Ruth belted 59 in all, drove in 168 runs and had a slugging percentage of .846. He even pitched in two games, starting one for the Yankees, but by this time it was clear Ruth’s dual threat days were all but over.
He led the Yankees to the World Series but an elbow injury took him out of the lineup for a while and their two game lead on the Giants evaporated. The Yanks dropped the best of nine series despite Ruth’s .313 average and first World Series homer.
The photo is one of several featuring Ruth that are in RMY’s Fall Premier Auction, which remains open until December 5.
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