100 years ago: Babe Ruth played baseball in Cuba

100 years ago: Babe Ruth played baseball in Cuba
02/11/2020
After hitting 54 home runs for the Yankees, the Babe joined the New York Giants on a tour in Havana, Cuba. He earned $20,000 (equivalent to $260,280 in 2020) for the appearance and lost it all gambling.

On 30 October 1920, George 'Babe' Ruth visited Havana, Cuba. The WBSC celebrates the historic event, looking back at how the MLB star and home run record holder sent the Cuban fans into a frenzy, despite not being able to hit one home run all tour.

Ruth reportedly received a salary of US$ 20,000 from participating in the so-called 'American Series,' which involved American teams touring Cuba, having been inaugurated in 1891, lasting until 1959.

The 25-year-old had just ended the Major League Baseball (MLB) Dead Ball Era. He had hit 54 home runs (over 142 games) in his second season with the New York Yankees and would extend the number to 59 (152 games) in 1921, a record that was broken (61 home runs in 161 games) by Roger Maris in 1961.

Ruth went to Havana as a one-time member of the New York Giants and played against the Havana Reds at the Almendares Blues, two clubs of the professional Cuban League founded in 1878 and discontinued in 1961 after the revolution.

On 30 October, Ruth played in center field against Havana and hit a triple and a double. He added two hits on 31 October, but pitcher Emilio Palmero got him on strikes once. The Babe went hitless against pitchers Josè Acosta and Oscar Tuero on 3 November but came back with two hits the day after.

Ruth went hitless in his first game against Almendares on 6 November. Cuban slugger Cristóbal Torriente outplayed the Babe, hitting three home runs. Ruth also pitched in relief. The Bambino got two hits on 7 November, one on 8 November but was hitless on 12 November. He got one hit over the final two at-bats on 14 November.

The following season, Ruth would play for the Yankees against the Giants and lose the 1921 MLB World Series in eight games.

According to baseball historian Rick Feingold, who lectured on this during the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture in 2016, Babe Ruth lost all the 20,000 dollars he had earned gambling at casinos in Havana.

The Babe was not the first notable MLB player to perform in Havana in the pre-revolution era. Ty Cobb and his Detroit Tigers were invited for a 12-game series in 1910. Cobb left after two games and after being caught stealing three times. He decided to cut the tour short after demonstrating that the second base bag was three inches too far. The Tigers finished the series with a 7-4 record and a tie.

Jackie Robinson was on the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers that chose Havana as their Spring Training site in 1947. He would make his historic MLB debut that season.