The beginning of the 1920 campaign for Babe Ruth would usher in a new period in his career and would become the genesis for one of the most impressive periods of accomplishment within the history of sports. With great fanfare and media coverage, Babe Ruth had been acquired by the New York Yankees from the Boston Red Sox after the 1919 season. The Babe had established a new home run record in 1919 at 29 which appeared to be a total that would be difficult to top by any meaningful margins. In classic Ruthian form the Bambino obliterated his own record in the 1920 season by hammering 54 home runs-a number that simply nobody could have anticipated to have been reached at the time. The 1920 season was arguably the finest of Babe's illustrious career batting .376 with 54 home runs, 135 RBI's, 158 runs scored and a career high OPS at 1.379. Ruth had taken New York by storm and quickly became one of the biggest draws of the city, packing the Polo Grounds with awestruck fans who marveled at his majestic home run clouts. By mid-July, Ruth had impossibly begun to approach his record total of 28 home runs set the previous season with both fan and media interest escalating daily.
On July 14, 1920 the Yankees were at home to face the St. Louis Browns, who had selected young pitcher Dixie Davis to become Ruth's next victim. In the second inning of the contest Ruth slammed Davis' first pitch of the at bat into the lower tier of the right field seats for his 28th home run of the season and 77th of his burgeoning career. The home run would put Ruth just one away from his record total of 29, which would not be reached on that day from that pitcher. The young hurler became wise to his fate, and promptly walked the Babe on each of his next three at bats, much to the angst of the crowd.
Offered is the baseball attributed to have been hit for that very home run on July 14, 1920. Official Ban Johnson American League baseball which shows evident use including varied soiling which has been signed across the sweet spot, "To Lefty O'Doul From Babe Ruth Twenty Eigth Home Run(s)". The signature and inscription range from 6-8 out of 10. An additional period blue fountain pen date of "July 14th, 1920" is written by unknown hand. On an adjacent side panel has been signed by O'Doul, "To Buddy From Frank "Lefty" O'Doul Oct. 14, 1927". Although the precise lineage of history is unknown we can establish that O'Doul was a relief pitcher in his second season with the Yankees in 1920. This would have given him plausible access to the ball for as noted in the July 15th issue of the New York World newspaper, "...It sailed into the lower tier of the right field grandstand-rather a weak hit for the famous slugger...." the bullpens at the Polo Grounds were located in the nooks with far left and right fields where O'Doul would have likely been stationed especially early in the game. It is also clearly established that O'Doul became a bit of a "collector" himself as evidenced by other items that have surfaced throughout the years having traced back to O'Doul as well. While the Ruth hand inscribed notation provides ample period documentation as to the history of the baseball, the additional supportive relation to O'Doul assists nicely in cementing same. The offered baseball represents one of the most clearly documented Ruth home run baseballs to have entered the marketplace. Additionally, to the best of our knowledge, this is the earliest Ruth home run baseball known to exist or to be offered at public auction. The National Baseball Hall of Fame notes Ruth's 32nd home run baseball of the 1933 season as the earliest among their collection. Includes full LOAs from PSA/DNA and JSA with the ball displayed within museum quallity shadowbox containing two original newspaper accounts of the home run: Ball : VG-EX, Signatures: Range from VG/EX-EX/MT