From Saturday afternoon through
Sunday, George often played games with five or six different teams.
Everyone soon discovered that George was one of the best hitters at the school. He was big for his age, well coordinated,
wiry, and strong. Although he played all positions, his strong arm often earned him a place behind the plate as a catcher.
A lefty, he wasn’t even bothered by the fact that he had to wear a left-handed catcher’s mitt. Instead, he perfected a method
of catching the ball, flipping it in the air, tucking the glove under his right arm, then snagging the ball with his throwing
hand. Even with the extra time it took to do this maneuver, his arm was so powerful he could still throw out runners trying
to steal.
Brother Matthias made sure that George didn’t stray, even on the baseball diamond. One day, thepitcher for George’s team was getting hit hard and George started laughing at him and making cruel comments. Brother Matthias
listened for a while, then went up to George and said, “All right, George.
You
pitch.”
George’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know how to pitch,” he stammered.
“You must know a lot about pitching,” Brother Matthias replied, “to know that your friend isn’t any good. Go out there and
show us how it is done.”
George realized the brother was serious. He took the ball, walked to the mound, and stood there awkwardly as the other boys
laughed at him.
But they didn’t laugh for long. George may not have known a lot about pitching, but he did have a strong arm. He pitched well,
and from then on took regular turns on the mound. But he had also learned an important lesson.
Periodically, George would return to live at home with his parents and sister. But without St. Mary’s structure and discipline,
he soon fell back into bad habits and his father would send him back to St. Mary’s, where Brother Matthias always welcomed
him back.
In 1908, when George was thirteen, he left St. Mary’s again. This time, he managed to stay out of serious trouble for almost
two years. Then his mother died. His father returned him to St. Mary’s. This time, he was not scheduled to be released until
he was twenty-one years old, and an adult.
Apart from a few scrapes with other boys, George rarely got into trouble at St. Mary’s. While he wasn’t much of a student,
he had beautiful handwriting and was one of the best shirtmakers at the school. Years later, he would brag to his major league
teammates that he could make a shirt in fifteen minutes, and they’d smile when they saw him carefully ironing his shirts.
Sometimes George’s teammates would even bring him their own laundry to iron!
The other boys at St. Mary’s were always thrilled when he came back. With George Ruth on their team, St. Mary’s was difficult
to beat. Not only was he the best pitcher at the school, he was also the best hitter. In one season he hit more than sixty
home runs!
Soon he was too good for the competition provided by St. Mary’s opponents. Brother Matthias arranged for George to play ball
on the weekendsfor local amateur and semipro teams made up of other teenagers and young adults. Stories about the young ballplayer named
Ruth began to appear in Baltimore newspapers. By 1913 he was one of the best-known amateur players in the Baltimore area.
The best team in Baltimore was the professional Baltimore Orioles of the International League. Owner Jack Dunn, known as a
shrewd judge of talent, scoured the area for ballplayers.
During the summer of 1913, former major league pitcher Joe Engel saw eighteen-year-old George pitch a game against Mount St.
Mary’s, a college team. George struck out eighteen of the first twenty men he faced. Engel immediately knew that George, who
now stood six feet two inches tall and weighed 170 pounds, was something special.
The next day, Engel bumped into Dunn. He told him about the left-handed pitcher named Ruth and said,
Sunday, George often played games with five or six different teams.
Everyone soon discovered that George was one of the best hitters at the school. He was big for his age, well coordinated,
wiry, and strong. Although he played all positions, his strong arm often earned him a place behind the plate as a catcher.
A lefty, he wasn’t even bothered by the fact that he had to wear a left-handed catcher’s mitt. Instead, he perfected a method
of catching the ball, flipping it in the air, tucking the glove under his right arm, then snagging the ball with his throwing
hand. Even with the extra time it took to do this maneuver, his arm was so powerful he could still throw out runners trying
to steal.
Brother Matthias made sure that George didn’t stray, even on the baseball diamond. One day, thepitcher for George’s team was getting hit hard and George started laughing at him and making cruel comments. Brother Matthias
listened for a while, then went up to George and said, “All right, George.
You
pitch.”
George’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know how to pitch,” he stammered.
“You must know a lot about pitching,” Brother Matthias replied, “to know that your friend isn’t any good. Go out there and
show us how it is done.”
George realized the brother was serious. He took the ball, walked to the mound, and stood there awkwardly as the other boys
laughed at him.
But they didn’t laugh for long. George may not have known a lot about pitching, but he did have a strong arm. He pitched well,
and from then on took regular turns on the mound. But he had also learned an important lesson.
Periodically, George would return to live at home with his parents and sister. But without St. Mary’s structure and discipline,
he soon fell back into bad habits and his father would send him back to St. Mary’s, where Brother Matthias always welcomed
him back.
In 1908, when George was thirteen, he left St. Mary’s again. This time, he managed to stay out of serious trouble for almost
two years. Then his mother died. His father returned him to St. Mary’s. This time, he was not scheduled to be released until
he was twenty-one years old, and an adult.
Apart from a few scrapes with other boys, George rarely got into trouble at St. Mary’s. While he wasn’t much of a student,
he had beautiful handwriting and was one of the best shirtmakers at the school. Years later, he would brag to his major league
teammates that he could make a shirt in fifteen minutes, and they’d smile when they saw him carefully ironing his shirts.
Sometimes George’s teammates would even bring him their own laundry to iron!
The other boys at St. Mary’s were always thrilled when he came back. With George Ruth on their team, St. Mary’s was difficult
to beat. Not only was he the best pitcher at the school, he was also the best hitter. In one season he hit more than sixty
home runs!
Soon he was too good for the competition provided by St. Mary’s opponents. Brother Matthias arranged for George to play ball
on the weekendsfor local amateur and semipro teams made up of other teenagers and young adults. Stories about the young ballplayer named
Ruth began to appear in Baltimore newspapers. By 1913 he was one of the best-known amateur players in the Baltimore area.
The best team in Baltimore was the professional Baltimore Orioles of the International League. Owner Jack Dunn, known as a
shrewd judge of talent, scoured the area for ballplayers.
During the summer of 1913, former major league pitcher Joe Engel saw eighteen-year-old George pitch a game against Mount St.
Mary’s, a college team. George struck out eighteen of the first twenty men he faced. Engel immediately knew that George, who
now stood six feet two inches tall and weighed 170 pounds, was something special.
The next day, Engel bumped into Dunn. He told him about the left-handed pitcher named Ruth and said,
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