Hot Springs in Garland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Babe Ruth

— Hot Springs Historic Baseball Trail —

Photographed By Steve Masler, April 8, 2017

1. Babe Ruth Marker

Inscription. Ruth trained here nine times and became a very familiar face around Hot Springs. He hiked the mountains, took the baths, played golf, patronized the casinos, and visited the racetrack.

On March 17, 1918 (St. Patrick's Day), he launched a mammoth home run from Whittington Park on the fly inside the Alligator Farm. It has been measured at 573 feet, baseball's first 500-foot-plus drive.

Erected 2012 by Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. In addition, it is included in the Baseball Hall of Famers series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 17, 1918.

Location. 34° 30.914′ N, 93° 4.361′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. Marker is at the intersection of Whittington Avenue and Woodfin Street, on the left when traveling west on Whittington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 847 Whittington Ave, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hot Springs: The Birthplace of Spring Baseball (within shouting distance of this marker); Babe Ruth Changed Baseball Forever (within shouting distance of this marker); Fogel Field (within shouting distance of this marker);

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

Smoky Joe Wood (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Whittington Park (about 500 feet away); Mel Ott (about 500 feet away); Lefty Grove (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bill Dickey (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hot Springs.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Babe Ruth. Excerpt:

George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. (1895–1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat,” he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth established many MLB batting (and some pitching) records, including career home runs (714), runs batted in (RBIs) (2,213), bases on balls (2,062), slugging percentage (.690), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164); the last two still stand. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many
Photographed By Steve Masler, April 8, 2017

2. Babe Ruth Marker
to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its “first five” inaugural members.

(Submitted on March 14, 2021.)

2. Remembering the Pandemic That Nearly Killed Babe Ruth. 2020 article by Evan Bleier in InsideHook. Excerpt:

That evening, his body began to ache and he developed a powerful fever that boosted his temperature up to 104 degrees. Like millions of his fellow Americans did in the spring of 1918, Ruth had come down with a case of the Spanish flu.

(Submitted on March 14, 2021.)

Babe Ruth in 1919 image. Click for full size.

Public domain via Getty Images, 1919

3. Babe Ruth in 1919

Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2017, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,101 times since then and 89 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week March 14, 2021. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 10, 2017, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. 3. submitted on March 14, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.