Ruth Plays a Quick Game of 52 Pick-Up

From Hot Springs, Ark., training camp site for the New York Yankees, emanated news that rocked all of baseball.

Babe Ruth, the Yankees’ 27-year-old slugger, had just signed a contract for $52,000, dwarfing any other wage in the game’s history.

The Yankees’ second-highest paid player, for example, Home Run Baker, was making $16,000. Wally Schang, one of the game’s best catchers, was making $10,000. Pitcher Bob Shawkey, three-time 20-game winner, was at $8,500. Wally Pipp, in his ninth season and who had twice led the league in home runs, made $6,500.

But none had put together consecutive seasons like Ruth’s. And no one ever has since.

Ruth hit 54 home runs in 1920, 59 in ’21. He drove in a total of 308 runs and hit .376 and .378. His slugging percentages those two seasons, .847 and .846, have never been approached. In fact, Lou Gehrig, at .765 in 1927 is the only other player to have surpassed .764.

And so, Ruth wanted a considerable raise over his 1921 salary, $20,000.

He got it. Yankee President Col. Tillinghast Huston, when asked by a reporter how much Ruth would make, responded:

“It’s for a bank president’s salary--and not a country bank, either.”

Also on this date: In 1964, horse players everywhere grew ill with the news. At Gulfstream Park in Miami, it was believed an unknown bettor had torn up and discarded a mutual ticket worth $84,114. The park announced that there was one winning ticket on its Twin Double payoff--players picking winners of the fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth races. Some time after Gathering Dusk was disqualified after winning the eighth, Initabas, a $115.40 longshot, was declared the winner. When no one stepped up, it was assumed the bettor missed the disqualification news. But, happy ending: The next day, two cooks from a Miami Beach hotel showed up with their winning $2 ticket and split the payoff.