'Hitter of the first rank' Babe Ruth hit his first career home run 100 years ago

Relive Babe Ruth's first career HR 100 years later

By Mike Bertha

May 6, 2015

On May 6, 1915, George Herman Ruth hit a home run. It was the first of 714 he'd hit in professional baseball.

Ruth, by then already known as "The Babe," was pitching and batting ninth that day for the Red Sox as they took on the Yankees at the Polo Grounds. Ruth and the Sox lost 4-3 in 13 innings. On the mound, Ruth faced 50 batters, striking out only three while surrendering just two earned runs.

The Boston Globe headline the next morning read, "RUTH PITCHES GRAND BALL AND TURNS IN THREE HITS."

According to The Globe, the real show came in the third inning when Ruth -- then just 20 -- hit his first career home run:

In the third, Ruth, who impressed the onlookers as being a hitter of the first rank, swatted a low ball into the upper tier of the right-field grandstand and trotted about the bases to slow the music.

This run looked tall as the Woolworth Building until the fifth, when the Yanks tied the score on Wagern's miss of Cook's grounder, a high throw by McNally to first and a forceout of Boone at second.

Ruth wouldn't hit a home run at Fenway Park until 23-days later, but after that, he went on to mash quite a few more.

The Babe's granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tossetti, honored the occasion by throwing out the first pitch on Wednesday night:

Ruth