Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2014
Before the 1918 season the Red Sox found themselves in a predicament that had never before or since presented itself - their ace pitcher, the best left-hander in the American League, also happened to have the most powerful bat in their lineup. Though Ruth had won 24 games with a 2.01 ERA the previous year, he simply loved to hit, something his role as pitcher only allowed him to do every 4th or 5th games. None-the-less he hit .325 with 2 home runs. When it came time to sign a contract for 1918, Ruth, as the AL's premier lefty, asked for a substantial raise from his $3,500 1917 paycheck. It was a proven fact that attendance increased substantially when Ruth was scheduled to pitch and his larger-than-life personality had began to make him the darling of the sporting press. With the war threatening to severely shorten the coming baseball season and players being lost to the service or war industry jobs, Boston compromised and gave Ruth a $5,000 contract. Satisfied, the big lefty put his signature to 3 copies of an "American League Player's Contract": one kept by the Red Sox, one sent to the American League and the third - this one - kept by Babe Ruth himself. This contract, the Babe's own, is the only 1918 that has survived and is the earliest Babe Ruth Player's Contract known!
The historical significance of the year 1918 to Ruth scholars is paramount - that was the year he began the transition from ace pitcher to the slugger he became known as. At first Boston was hesitant to let Ruth play everyday and he was kept as a spot starter throughout the summer, going 13-7 in 20 games with a 2.22 ERA. As the summer stretched on Harry Hooper convinced manager Ed Barrow to let the big guy play everyday and Ruth responded with a solid .300 average and led the league in home runs and slugging. The Sox met the Cubs in the World Series and Ruth won both the first and fourth games as the team won their last World Championship until 2004. By the time the series ended, Ruth's $5,000 contract seemed like the best bargain in baseball. This 1918 contract documents the last time The Babe would play ball for less than 5 digits.
The 4 page 8 1/2" x 14" "American League Player's Contract" has been signed on the 3rd page by "Geo. H. Ruth" (10/10) , AL President Ban Johnson (10/10) and Red Sox owner H.H. Frazee (10/10). As this contract was stored away by The Babe after signing it, the signatures are in pristine condition, never having been exposed to the elements. As is common with Major League contracts, there are 3 horizontal folds and the outside front and back pages display the usual age found on a 96 year-old legal document. As befitting the historical significance of this piece, the 1918 document is displayed in its own custom museum-quality 10" x 15 1/4" x 1 1/4" red leather bound book, which when opened reveals a matching red cloth-covered portfolio that holds Ruth's 1918 contract. It is important to note that this was the last American League Player's contract that Ruth would sign until 1922 when he signed his first contract as a Yankee. The terms of this contract were in place with compensation modified as part of his sale to the Yankees the following season, meaning this contract was not only in effect for his last two years with the Red Sox, but also his first two years with the Yankees. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.