Sussex County Welcomes the Bambino

by Joel Wilson

Babe Ruth is undoubtedly one of baseball's most legendary figures, a larger than life slugger whose accomplishments on the field will remain entrenched in the annals of baseball history forever.  On October 6, 1940, Babe visited Sussex County, playing in a benefit game at Memory Park in Newton to raise money for the Newton Elk's crippled childrens' fund.

Of course at this time Babe's illustrious career with the Yankees was well over and he was already enshrined as a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Still, this did little to reduce the excitement of the Sussex County faithful that came to see the Babe play that day.  After all, his accomplishments were not only statistical in nature but also helped to shape the game of baseball as we know it today.  Besides being the first dominating home run hitter in the sport, Babe is also credited with being the first person to use a bat with a knob on the end.   Babe invented the modern baseball bat!

And boy could he use it!  He led the American League in home runs 12 times.  He is the only person to hit three home runs in more than one world series game.  His 60 single season home run tally stood the test of time until Roger Maris came along.  It took Hank Aaron over twenty years to overcome the 714 total that Babe accomplished.  He hit a full 14% of all of the home runs hit in baseball in 1927, and often in his career hit more homers than entire teams did.  He led the Yankees to seven World Series appearances and four championships, hitting fifteen home runs in 41 World Series games.  As a pitcher he still holds the record for the longest complete game victory (14 innings over the Brooklyn Dodgers) in World Series history.  Talk about Mr. October!

Babe loved children, many think as a result of his tough childhood spent in St. Mary's Industrial School, an orphanage and  reformatory.   Babe would do anything to help kids in need, and the Newton Elk's crippled children cause was right up Babe's alley.  To the Babe, the trip to Newton was simply another of the countless good deeds that this man did to shine a little light on children in need.   While the money raised and the detail of the game are inconsequential, Sussex County was certainly a winner in all respects as we were certainly graced with the presence of a genuine human being. 

Links

The Official Babe Ruth Web Site

The Babe Ruth Museum & Birthplace