Did Babe Ruth actually predict his legendary home run, or was he just heckled?
In short: During the 1932 World Series, Babe Ruth pointed toward center field before crushing a home run against the Chicago Cubs. While the moment became a cornerstone of baseball mythology, historians and players remain divided on whether the slugger was signaling his intent or simply responding to a hostile dugout.
The incident occurred during the fifth inning of Game 3 at Wrigley Field on October 1, 1932. With the score tied 4-4, Ruth faced pitcher Charlie Root amidst a backdrop of intense animosity. The Yankees and Cubs were locked in a bitter dispute over a partial World Series bonus awarded to Mark Koenig, a former Yankee traded to Chicago mid-season. Throughout the series, players traded insults, and fans reportedly pelted Ruth with lemons and verbal abuse.
As Ruth stood at the plate, he made a distinct pointing gesture. Decades later, accounts of his intent vary wildly. Some witnesses, including future Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, maintained that Ruth clearly signaled his plan to hit the ball toward the center-field scoreboard. Conversely, Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett reportedly told teammate Billy Jurges that Ruth was merely indicating that he still had one strike remaining in the count. Ruth himself offered conflicting explanations, at times claiming he was taunting the jeering Cubs bench and at others insisting he had promised to hit the ball past the flagpole.
The mystery persists because the surviving film footage is inconclusive, showing Ruth raising his arm with two fingers extended but failing to capture his specific target. While a 2020 discovery of a radio clip featured Lou Gehrig confirming the gesture was directed at center field, the debate remains unresolved. Regardless of the truth, the event cemented Ruth’s status as a larger-than-life figure. His legacy was so profound that a jersey he wore during that series recently sold for over $24 million, marking it as the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia in history.
Ruth retired in 1935 with 714 career home runs, a record that stood for 39 years. His impact on the sport was transformative, moving baseball from a game of mere statistics to one of mythic proportions. Whether the 'Called Shot' was a calculated prediction or a defiant retort to hecklers, it remains an enduring symbol of a player who, according to MLB historian John Thorn, changed the game in ways previously unimagined.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Did Babe Ruth really ‘call’ this legendary home run? | National Geographic
- Also: Babe Ruth's called shot
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