Louis Van Oeyen/ WRHS/Getty Images
With World Series wins in 1903 and 1912, the Red Sox were already a powerhouse by the time a young hurler named Babe Ruth debuted in 1914. His pitching helped them win three more titles in 1915, 1916 and 1918.
Come 1919, however, Ruth had hit his way off the mound with a record-setting 29 home runs. Accordingly, he demanded a raise from $10,000 to $20,000 and threatened to retire if his demands weren’t met.
Instead, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000. He had to go, Frazee said, because he was “selfish and inconsiderate,” and the club “could no longer put up with his eccentricities.”
The mood in New York, meanwhile, was ecstatic. Though typically an also-ran club through 1918, the Yankees were coming off a promising 80-59 season when they acquired Ruth. With him aboard, pitcher Bob Shawkey predicted the club would be a pennant winner as soon as 1920.
That didn’t pan out, but Ruth’s 54 home runs turned the ’20 season into a watershed event for him and for all of Major League Baseball. He ultimately hit 659 home runs with the Yankees, who won four of the seven World Series to which he led them.
For their part, the Red Sox went on to suffer 14 losing seasons between 1920 and 1935. As time would tell, that was just the beginning of what would eventually be known as the “Curse of the Bambino.”
Home>>Fashion>>Welcome to Rivalry Week at B/R, wherein there’s no better place to begin than with what has made the long-running feud between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees so special. Or, more accurately, who has made it so special…
Fashion