Babe Ruth Talking About His Called Shot

Some time ago I picked up an early ’90 vhs of classic baseball plays, and partway through, there was Babe Ruth, hitting and then talking about his called shot in the 1932 World Series vs. the Cubs. The less-than-perfect audio (with music in the background)  is on Archive.org .

I’ve written out the most relevant part of what Ruth said: “I looked out at center field and I pointed. I said, ‘I’m going to hit the next pitched ball right past the flag pole.’ Well, the good Lord must have been with me.”

The clip has appeared on sports shows from time to time, but hasn’t received much attention, and seems worth noting as a clear statement, presumably honest, from the man who was on the spot. I understand that some baseball fans don’t care about whether Ruth called his shot-it’s not among the world’s or baseball’s urgent problems—but it is interesting just to hear Ruth. He brings the scene of his homer to life wonderfully, and speaks in a warm, confident, endearing voice that’s not often found anywhere, much less among sports celebrities, and helps explain why he was such a legend in his own time.

Also, a p.s.: Ruth spoke at some point between 1933 and 1935, speculating on when he’d retire , and he repeated the idea that “the Lord was with me when I called the shot,” which tells us that he probably got quite used to talking about the homer in the years after he hit it, and that he maintained his position about what he’d done.

Arne Christensen runs Misc. Baseball , a blog assembling eclectic items about baseball’s history, and 1995 Mariners .