September 24, 1919 – It was a sign of good things to come when then, Boston Red Sox slugger Babe Ruth smashed a home run off of New York Yankees pitcher Bob Shawkey. It was the young batter’s 28th of the season and set an MLB season home run record. It also provided the only run in the game for Boston that day as they suffered a 2-1 loss to their rivals at the Polo Grounds in New York.
Perhaps that was the day the New York brass decided they wanted to get Ruth on their roster, as a few months later on January 5, 1920, it was announced that the rights to the player had been purchased by the Yankees from the Red Sox for $125,000. We all forget that the Bambino played 6 seasons in Beantown before he donned the pinstripes of NY.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

The Decade of New and Improved Stadiums
If you would be asked to name one particular decade where the pro football

Big Ten Men’s Basketball Best Season (1988-89′)
As a lifelong fan of the Big Ten Conference, particularly a fan of the

Forgotten Matches That Deserve a Second Look
Finals or viral moments keep some matches alive. Others fail to take off despite

1972 Los Angeles Lakers: Beating 17 Years of Frustration
From 1949 to 1954, the Minneapolis Lakers won five NBA titles. They reached the

When the Odds Were Wrong: Historic World Series Upsets
Image by Nattapol_Sritongcom on Magnific Baseball history has always had room for the unexpected.

Jim Schmitz: USA Olympic Weightlifting Coach
Born in Ukiah, California, in 1945, Coach Jim Schmitz has been involved in weightlifting

Wilfrid Smith: From the NFL to Global Recognition
You may have heard of him… But then again, it’s likely that you have

Kent McCloughan: The Forgotten Architect of the Bump-and-Run
Land on Kent McCloughan’s page on Pro Football Reference and it’s likely that you’d