Sports Legends from New York

There are many great sports legends that played in New York state. The greatest sports figure from New York was probably Babe Ruth. Ruth was an outfielder and pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was sold from the Red Sox to the Yankees in December 1919. He would lead the Yankees to for World Series Championships during his career with the team. He also made two All-Star games while playing for the Yankees. In 1923 he was named the American League MVP (Most Valuable Player). This would be his only MVP award in his career. He also had his number retired by the Yankees.

Ruth was best known for his presence at the plate. He broke several records while he was playing. Ruth held the record for single season home runs with sixty. He hit those home runs in 1927. His record stood for 34 years before it was broken by future Yankee great Roger Maris. He also held what is to be considered the most prestigious record in baseball. He hit a record 714 home runs in his career. The previous record holder was Yankee great Lou Gehrig who hit 378 career home runs. This record stood for 39 years before it was broken by Hank Aaron.

Ruth also has records that are still active. He has a career .690 slugging percentage which is the highest in history. He also still holds the record for highest career OPS at 1.164. In 1936 he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with over 95 percent of the votes.