Babe Ruth got his 500th home run at League Park on Aug. 11, 1929, and a local boy got $20 and the Bambino's autograph for returning the ball that was hit out of the park and onto Lexington Ave. Read our game day story.
View full sizeLou Gehrig and Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees at League Park in 1927.
(Last in a series of three stories)
Saturday: Pitcher Cy Young led the Cleveland Spiders to a 12-3 victory over Cincinnati on May 1, 1891, in the opening game at League Park, home to Cleveland baseball for nearly half a century.Sunday: Game five of the 1920 World Series was a big day in Cleveland baseball history, with the Indians beating the Brooklyn Dodgers and recording the only World Series unassisted triple play, the first World Series grand slam and the first World Series home run by a pitcher. All at League Park.
Today: Babe Ruth got his 500th home run at League Park on Aug. 11, 1929, and a local boy got $20 and the Bambino's autograph for returning the ball that was hit out of the park and onto Lexington Ave.
To learn more, visit the League Park Historical Society
For photographs, go to the Cleveland Memory Project
CLEVELAND, Ohio--Babe Ruth hit his 500th homer at League Park on Aug. 11, 1929. Below is the story of the historic home run by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Babe Ruth Hits 500th Homer; Ball Is Found
At Bambin's Request, Police Dash Out of Park at Crack of Bat to Hunt "Apple"
King of Swat's Smiles Soften Finder's Heart
New Philadephia Youth Gives Up Historic Ball and Gets $20
by Gordon Cobledick
George Herman Ruth, the celebrated human being, had hit 499 home runs as a major league baseball player prior to yesterday's game at Dunn Feild.
Accordingly, when Mr. Ruth came out to the park to get into his working clothes yesterday he hunted up H. Clay Folger, chief of the Dunn Field police.
"Listen," said the Babe, "I'm going to hit No. 500 today and I'll tell you what I wish you'd do. I wish you'd find the kid who gets the ball and bring him to me. I'd kinda like to save that one."
It didn't take Ruth long to perform his half of the bargain. He hit the first ball pitched by Willis Hudlin on his first at bat and it went sailing high over the right field wall and into Lexington Avenue -- for No. 500.
Round Up Urchin
Folger and his men immediately went into action. This and that urchin they interviewed and at length they found one who said:
"A fellah got it. I think he went into the ball park."
Folger rushed back and took up his post hear the turnstiles. No sooner had he stationed himself there than entered a young man with a suspicious looking bulge at his right-hand coat pocket.
"It just came over the fence," said the young man.
"Well, I'll tell you what you do," Folger suggested. "You give me that ball and I'll give you another brand new one with Babe Ruth's autograph on it. You see, that was the Babe's 500th home run, and he'd kinda like to save it."
Go to Yankee Dugout
"Oh, yeah?" spoke up a companion of the young man with the ball. "Maybe my friend would like to save it, too."
Here Walter McNichols, secretary of the Cleveland ball club, joined his persuasive voice to that of Folger. Matters were proceeding slowly when McNichols suddenly had an inspiration.
"Let's go down to the Yankee dugout," he suggested, "and see the Babe."
Read the rest of the story by clicking on the link below:
Babe-Ruth-500th-Homer-August-1929.pdf See all of these photographs in the League Park gallery.