June 2, 1935 – All good things must come to an end, in fact even the great careers of athletes. It occurred on this day that future Baseball Hall of Fame legend Babe Ruth announced his retirement as a player at 40 years of age. Ruth, most famously of the New York Yankees, started his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1914 through 1919.
He was then famously traded to the Yankees and batted himself into immortality of the pinstriped team as he played in New York for 15 years. Few people realize that he in fact spent his final partial season as a player back in Boston in the NL as a member of the Boston Braves in 1935 before issuing this retirement notice.
He finished his career as the MLB’s leading Home Run hitter with 714, and that record lasted for almost 50 years until a future Braves player named Hank Aaron broke it.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Sports History On This Day: June 12
June 12, 1955 – Tragedy occurred at one of the racing world’s greatest spectacles, the
Sports History On This Day: June 11
June 11, 1903 – It was a matter of sibling rivalry, well sort of. At
Sports History On This Day: June 10
June 10, 1944 – The youngest player in MLB history makes his debut. Relief pitcher
Super Bowl XXXVI (Rams vs. Patriots): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXXVI, which was held on February 3, 2002, at
Sports History On This Day: June 9
June 9, 1930 – The “Flying Finn,” Paavo Nurmi ran 6 miles at a world
Sports History On This Day: June 8
June 8, 1920 – Sinatra tells us in his song New York, New York that
Riding the Back Roads: My Life in Sprint Car
It sounds like a nightmare… When your race car transport truck stops for gas,
Sports History On This Day: June 7
June 7, 1980 – Tommy John was a fantastic pitcher in his day. Many