Babe Ruth was an American professional baseball player whose career in MLB spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.
He was delinquent during his childhood, and his parents sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory and orphanage, at the age of seven.
George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr., the son of George Herman Ruth Sr. and Katherine Schamberger, was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland.
He was born in a house that belonged to his maternal grandfather, Pius Schamberger, a German immigrant and trade unionist.
His parents were both of German ancestry, and they moved to Maryland according to the 1880 census.
Ruth Sr. worked as a lightning rod salesman and streetcar operator to support the family. Later, he became a counterman in a family-owned combination grocery and saloon business on Frederick Street.
They moved to 339 South Woodyear Street and had a saloon with an upstairs apartment at 426 West Camden Street.
Babe Ruth Was Sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys At 7
Babe Ruth was a troubled child before he became the greatest baseball player in the world.
His parents, unable to control him, made a difficult decision and sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore on June 13, 1902, at the age of seven.
Life on the streets of Baltimore had taken its toll on Babe Ruth, and his father was often busy running a saloon.
He rarely went to school, ran wild, and got into trouble. His parents felt they had no other choice, and he was officially recorded as incorrigible.
St. Mary, run by strict Xaverian Brothers, was a part of a reform school, which became Babe’s home for much of the next 12 years. Inside the reform school, life was structured and often harsh.
The boys received an education but were also expected to work, learning trades to support the school. Babe became a skilled shirtmaker and carpenter.
Despite brief periods away, he always returned to St. Mary’s. His family rarely visited, and his mother died when he was 12. Later, he was permitted to leave St. Mary’s only to attend the funeral.
Babe Ruth’s Unlikely Starting Point of an Incredible Journey
Babe Ruth’s incredible journey to baseball immortality didn’t begin on a Little League field, but at St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, a reform school and orphanage.
He was just a troubled kid from Baltimore.
The story of how young Babe first picked up a bat at St. Mary’s has two versions.
One tale says he was sent there partly because his powerful streetball hits kept breaking windows around Baltimore.
Another claims that on his very first day, the athletic director, Brother Herman, told him to join a team. He was even made a catcher, a position rarely played by left-handers.
At St. Mary’s, Babe found guidance in Brother Matthias Boutlier, the Prefect of Discipline. A large and fair man respected by all the boys, Brother Matthias encouraged Babe’s athletic pursuits.
The school had organized baseball leagues, and Babe later estimated he played an astounding 200 games a year, honing his skills at every position while wearing mitts designed for right-handers.
His path to pitching stardom began by accident. As the story goes, Babe was laughing at other students’ poor pitching when Brother Matthias told him to try it himself.
Babe stepped in and proved to be a natural. He became the school’s best pitcher, and by the age of 18, his talent was so great that he was allowed to leave St. Mary’s to play on local weekend teams.
Local newspapers started taking note of the young man from the reform school, praising both his powerful arm and his ability to hit massive home runs.
This unlikely starting point marked the beginning of the story of America’s greatest baseball hero, Babe Ruth.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Out of eight children, only Babe Ruth and his younger sister, Mamie, survived infancy.
- His first wife’s name was Helen Woodford, and his second wife’s name was Claire Merritt Hodgson.
- He was a self-described Democrat and campaigned for Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Al Smith in 1928.
- He suffered from cancer and passed away in his sleep at the age of 53 on August 16, 1948.
