The
legend of
Babe Ruth

» From Kamloops to
the NBA finals

Brandon Yip
Senior Columnist

 

B abe Ruth came to Vancouver. No,
not the candy bar Baby Ruth—the
baseball superstar, and monster home
run hitter for the prestigious pin-striped
New York Yankees.

Yes, in October 1934, Ruth made a
trip to the Canadian West Coast as part of
a contingent of athletes touring together.
The players were passengers aboard the
Empress of Japan and were scheduled to
play a set of 17 exhibition games in Japan.
Before setting on their voyage to Japan,
they made a temporary stop in Vancouver.

Ruth had visited Vancouver before
in November 1926, when he was in the
city during a promotional tour. Ruth had
participated in numerous publicity photos
at the now demolished Pantages Theatre—
one photo had him holding a bat in a hitting
pose with Vancouver Mayor, Louis Taylor,
being the catcher. Also in the photo was
Chief of Police Long as the umpire.

Nonetheless, for his latest trip to
Vancouver, Ruth stayed at the Hotel
Vancouver and local photographers
snapped photos of him wearing striped
pajamas with a bright nightgown. He was
lounging in his hotel suite and seemed to
be enjoying himself. As well, he was seen
smoking a pipe, savouring a roast duck
dinner, and going for a routine shave—
tipping a grand 25 cents.

Ruth would later speak with reporters
during his stay in Vancouver, hinting that
he was considering retiring from baseball.
“I’ve played 21 seasons of major-league ball.
I guess that’s enough, but it sure will be
tough,” Ruth said. “My batting is as good
as ever, but my legs won't carry me. Now
about managing a big-league ball club, I
sure would like that if I could get a chance
[....] I definitely won't be playing next year.
I don’t want to make a fool of myself” Ruth
then added, “Not for the money. No sir, not
for twice the money.”

On October 20, 1934, Athletic Park
would be the host for a rainy exhibition
game played by the All Americans,
including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Their opponents would be a young roster
comprised of local semi-professional ball
players. Athletic Park was a wood-built
ballpark located in False Creek, near the
corner of Hemlock Street and Fifth Avenue.
Commenting on Vancouver's rainy weather,
Ruth reportedly told his teammates “if
these people can take the weather, so can
we. We're gonna give ‘em a ball game.”
Along with Ruth and Gehrig, other players
on the team were Lefty Gomez, Charlie
Gehringer, and Lefty O’Doul. The latter
would later become the manager for the

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sports // no. 7

¢ NHL free agency sweepstakes underway

e Severed contact approach taken by
leagues proves successful

¢ The legend of Babe Ruth
..and more!

 

Ruth stayed at the Hotel Vancouver and local photographers snapped
photos of him wearing striped pajamas with a bright nightgown.

 

Vancouver Mounties team when the Pacific
Coast League would make its local debut
in 1956.

Billy Adshead, an infielder,
remembers what it was like playing
against the All Americans. “We were
overwhelmed when we saw Ruth
and these fellers,” Adshead said in an
interview with The Tyee marking the 6oth
anniversary of the game. “All of us wanted
to be big league ball players and here they
were in the flesh right in our own park.”

Unfortunately, the exhibition game in
Vancouver would be overshadowed by the
heavy rainfall. The game was not cancelled,
as it went the full nine innings—ending

in a 2-2 tie. Despite the uncooperative
Vancouver weather, Ruth tried to entertain
the fans. During the game, Ruth attempted
to hit one of his trademark home runs.
However, he hit two long foul balls instead.
But it appeared the local team of semi-
professionals played hard, while Ruth and
his All Americans gave a lackluster effort—
not taking the exhibition game seriously.
Subsequently, Athletic Park continued
to be used as a ballpark, but it was later
demolished in the early 1950s to build an
on-ramp for the Granville Street Bridge.
Babe Ruth finished his illustrious career
with the Boston Braves in May 1935. Yet he
will be mostly recognized as a New York

Yankee from 1920 to 1934. Ruth finished his
baseball career with 714 home runs, 2,873
hits, 2,214 runs batted in (RBIs), and a .342
batting average.

Finally, Ruth and the All Americans
left Vancouver the next day, boarding their
ship bound for Japan. It made a brief stop in
Victoria. Babe Ruth had a lot of confidence.
And that swagger and self-assurance was
evident during his brief appearance on the
west coast. Reporters in Victoria asked Ruth
how he was going to do against Japanese
pitching. Ruth replied, “I’ve been knocking
baseballs around for 21 years and I guess I'll
knock a few more in Japan.”