NATIONAL DAYSPORTS

National Babe Ruth Day

National Babe Ruth Day on April 27 honors the greatest name in American baseball — George Herman 'Babe' Ruth (1895–1948), the Sultan of Swat, the Bambino, the man who single-handedly saved baseball after the 1919 Black Sox scandal and transformed the sport into the national pastime. April 27, 1947 was the original 'Babe Ruth Day' at Yankee Stadium, when a dying Ruth thanked the crowds one final time.

APR27

Tuesday, April 27Every year on April 27

days to go

Vibe: American Legend
Also on Apr 27: World Tapir Day · Gummi Bear Day · Prime Rib Day
Hashtag: #NationalBabeRuthDay

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Ways to celebrate

Celebrate baseball's king:

⚾ Watch baseball. MLB teams often honor Ruth on April 27. Check your local team's schedule. Yankees day games are particularly fitting.
📺 Watch 'The Babe' (1992) or 'The Sandlot' (1993). The former is a biopic; the latter features a memorable Babe Ruth autograph scene.
📚 Read a Babe Ruth biography. Leigh Montville's 'The Big Bam' (2006) is the standard.
🏛️ Visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. In Baltimore — Ruth's hometown. Open since 1974. Essential for fans.
🌭 Eat a hot dog. Ruth reportedly ate 20+ hot dogs in a single sitting. A legendary American baseball snack.

Make it your kind of celebration

Family
Family baseball day. Catch-in-the-backyard, watch a game on TV, or better yet, go to an MLB park. Introduce kids to baseball.
Kids
Kids learn about Ruth through 'The Sandlot' (1993), 'The Boys of Summer,' or kid-friendly biographies. A classic sports-hero lesson.
Couples
Date at a baseball game. Hot dogs, beer, seventh-inning stretch. Classic American romance.
Office
Office fantasy-baseball league kickoff if April 27 is in season. Or simply share favorite baseball memories.
School
History classes can use Ruth to teach the 1920s — Prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance, the 'Roaring Twenties.' Ruth embodied the era.
Community
Little League practices across America are picking up. Volunteer; attend; support local youth baseball.
Just me
A quiet afternoon with 'The Boys of Summer' or 'Moneyball' and a beer. Baseball reading is contemplative pleasure.

Plan ahead

National Babe Ruth Day is observed on April 27 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Mon, Apr 27this year

2027Tue, Apr 27

2028Thu, Apr 27

2029Fri, Apr 27

2030Sat, Apr 27

2031Sun, Apr 27

2032Tue, Apr 27

2033Wed, Apr 27

2034Thu, Apr 27

2035Fri, Apr 27

2036Sun, Apr 27

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Fast facts

Feb 6, 1895, Baltimore

714Career (3rd all-time)

7Championships

The story

George Herman Ruth Jr. was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore to German immigrant parents who ran a saloon. At age 7, Ruth was sent to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a reform school for troubled youth, where Brother Matthias (a Xaverian Brother) taught him baseball. Ruth signed his first professional contract at 19 with the Baltimore Orioles (then a minor league team), then was sold to the Boston Red Sox in 1914. In his Red Sox years he was a star pitcher, winning 94 games, going 3-0 in two World Series, and posting a 0.87 ERA in his championship starts.

Read the full story

In 1920, in what became baseball's most famous transaction, the Red Sox sold Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 (the largest sum ever paid for a player at the time). Red Sox owner Harry Frazee needed cash; the Yankees got the future greatest player ever. The 'Curse of the Bambino', the superstition that the Red Sox would never win another World Series after trading Ruth, lasted 86 years (1918-2004). When Ruth joined the Yankees, he was already hitting more home runs than any other player; on the Yankees, he exploded into sports mythology.

Ruth's 1920s run was unprecedented. He led the American League in home runs 12 of 14 seasons. He hit 60 home runs in 1927, a record that stood for 34 years. He won four World Series with the Yankees (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932). Game 3 of the 1932 World Series featured "The Called Shot" Ruth allegedly pointing to the Wrigley Field bleachers before hitting a home run exactly there. The moment became legend; debate continues whether he truly pointed. It doesn't matter. The legend is what lived on.

Ruth retired in 1935 after a disappointing final season with the Boston Braves. His 714 career home runs stood as the all-time record until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. Ruth was inaugurated as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in its inaugural 1936 class. On April 27, 1947, diagnosed with throat cancer, dying, Ruth attended 'Babe Ruth Day' at Yankee Stadium. In a raspy voice, he addressed 60,000 fans. He died August 16, 1948. Over 100,000 people attended his funeral at Yankee Stadium. He was 53 years old.

Baseball history's defining plays:

Cities where the Bambino made history:

Did you know?

Ruth was originally a pitcher.

Ruth's first 5 MLB years were as a star pitcher. He was one of the AL's best. His 29 consecutive scoreless World Series innings stood as a record for 43 years. He stopped pitching to hit full-time, changing baseball history.

Ruth ate 20+ hot dogs in a sitting.

The 'bellyache heard round the world' (1925) had Ruth sidelined from eating 12+ hot dogs in one meal. Ruth's appetite was legendary, 18-inch steaks, massive beer intake. Not a health guide.

Curse of the Bambino lasted 86 years.

Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, their last for 86 years. Fans blamed Ruth's sale. The curse broke in 2004 when the Red Sox beat the Yankees (coming back from 3-0) en route to ending the drought.

Ruth's 1927 season was the greatest ever.

60 home runs. .356 batting average. 164 RBIs. Led Yankees to a 110-44 record (.714 winning percentage). Some analysts still consider it the single greatest offensive season in MLB history.