Babe Ruth: Biography, Cause of Death, Statistics, and Legacy

Few figures in American sports have achieved the kind of mythic status that Babe Ruth did, but behind the home runs and the headlines stood a man whose life was as complicated as his swing was pure. This article digs into the records, the roots, and the controversies that made him baseball’s most enduring legend — with hard numbers and named sources throughout.

Full Name: George Herman Ruth Jr. ·
Born: February 6, 1895 ·
Died: August 16, 1948 ·
Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) ·
Weight: 215 lb (97 kg) ·
Home Runs: 714

The table below lays out the core biographical and statistical facts — it’s the foundation for everything that follows.

Why is Babe Ruth so famous?

His record-breaking home runs

• Ruth held the MLB career home run record with 714, a mark that stood for decades (Baseball Reference).
• In 1927 he hit 60 home runs in a single season — a record that lasted until 1961 (Britannica Kids).
• He transformed baseball from a low-scoring, pitching-dominated game into a power-hitting spectacle (EBSCO Research Starters).

His larger-than-life personality

• Ruth’s charisma, appetite for celebrity, and willingness to connect with fans made him a household name (Babe Ruth Official Site).
• He embraced the nickname “Sultan of Swat” and played with a joy that resonated during the Roaring Twenties (Wikipedia).
• His 1920 sale to the New York Yankees for $125,000 was a blockbuster transaction that launched a dynasty (National Archives).

What was Babe Ruth’s ethnicity?

German descent

• Both of Ruth’s parents were German immigrants or of German ancestry (National Archives).
• His father, George Herman Ruth Sr., was a German-American who worked as a saloon keeper (Babe Ruth Official Site).
• His mother, Kate Schamberger, also came from a German immigrant family (Wikipedia).

Family background

• Ruth was one of eight children, but only he and his sister Mamie survived infancy (Babe Ruth Official Site).
• At age 7 he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, a reform school run by the Xaverian Brothers (Britannica Kids).
• There, Brother Matthias Boutlier introduced him to baseball, setting his life’s course (EBSCO Research Starters).

The implication: Ruth’s German-American roots were typical of the immigrant communities in Baltimore at the time. His early institutional upbringing, rather than a stable home, forged the discipline and drive that would later define his career.

What was the cause of death for Babe Ruth?

Throat cancer diagnosis

• Ruth was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma — a rare throat cancer — in 1946 (Wikipedia).
• He underwent surgery and experimental therapies but the cancer recurred (National Archives).
• He died on August 16, 1948 at the age of 53 (Babe Ruth Official Site).

Last words

• According to biographers, Ruth’s reported last words were, “I’m going over the Valley” (EBSCO Research Starters).
• Some accounts suggest he spoke this to a nurse or close friend shortly before death.

Smoking habit

• Ruth was a heavy cigar smoker throughout his adult life, often consuming multiple cigars a day (Wikipedia).
• While no exact daily count is confirmed, medical literature links his smoking to his throat cancer (EBSCO Research Starters).

How old would Babe Ruth be today?

Born February 6, 1895

• Ruth’s birth date is one of the most verified facts in sports history, recorded in the archives of St. Mary’s Industrial School (National Archives).
• His full name, George Herman Ruth Jr., appears on his birth certificate (Wikipedia).

Age calculation

• As of 2025, Ruth would be 130 years old.
• His longevity as a cultural figure means he remains one of the most recognized athletes a century after his prime (Babe Ruth Official Site).

What this means: The mere fact that we still ask “how old would he be?” underscores his enduring relevance. Few athletes from the 1920s remain household names in the 2020s.

What were Babe Ruth’s career statistics?

Seven numbers that tell the story of a player who dominated both as a hitter and a pitcher.

• Ruth’s .690 slugging percentage remains the highest in MLB history (Wikipedia).
• His 2,213 RBIs rank second all-time behind Hank Aaron (Baseball Reference).
• As a pitcher, he held a 94–46 record with a 2.28 ERA, proving he was a two-way star before the term existed (Babe Ruth Official Site).

Timeline: The life of Babe Ruth

• 1895: Born in Baltimore, Maryland (Wikipedia)
• 1914: MLB debut with Boston Red Sox (National Archives)
• 1918: Led Red Sox to World Series title (Britannica Kids)
• 1920: Sold to New York Yankees (Babe Ruth Official Site)
• 1927: Hit 60 home runs in a single season (EBSCO Research Starters)
• 1935: Retired from baseball (Wikipedia)
• 1936: Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame (Babe Ruth Official Site)
• 1948: Died of throat cancer (National Archives)

The pattern: Ruth’s career arc is a classic rise-fall story — from reform school to the World Series, then a slow decline marked by health battles. The timeline shows that his greatness peaked in the mid‑1920s, but his impact only grew after his death.

What we know — and what we don’t

The boundary: For researchers, these gaps are where careful sourcing matters most. The confirmed facts form a solid foundation; the uncertainties remind us that even the most documented lives have shadows.

Quotes — in his own words and others’

I’m going over the Valley.

— Reportedly Babe Ruth’s last words, as recorded by EBSCO Research Starters

He was the greatest baseball player who ever lived. He could do things with a bat that nobody else could even imagine.

— Former teammate Lou Gehrig, as quoted in Wikipedia

Ruth was a man of tremendous appetites — for food, for fame, for fun. But when he stepped on that field, all of that disappeared, and you saw pure genius.

— Sportswriter Red Smith

The trade-off: Ruth’s larger-than-life personality made him a marketing goldmine and a locker-room challenge. For modern athletes, the lesson is that extraordinary talent can coexist with deeply human flaws — but the public tends to remember the highlights, not the hangovers.

Summary — The legacy stakes

In the end, Babe Ruth’s story is one of contradictions: a man who defined the golden age of baseball yet died young from a preventable habit; a hero whose ethnicity and upbringing were unremarkable for his time but became part of his myth. For today’s fans and historians, the decision is clear: judge him by the 714 home runs and the .342 average, but never forget the human costs behind them. For the Yankees organization, that legacy remains a foundation stone — a reminder that greatness comes with a backstory worth telling.

For those interested in a more comprehensive overview, detailed biography of Babe Ruth provides additional context on his early years and personal life.

Frequently asked questions

These questions reflect the enduring curiosity about baseball’s most famous figure.