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Measures 8-1/4" x 9-1/2" PSA 9 MINT AUTO GRADE
Fact or fiction? Myth or legend? Did he or didn't he? Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series iconic "Called Shot" story will forever stand as one of our National Pastime's greatest moments.
As majestic as the monstrous home run Ruth clouted off of Charlie Root in game three of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field is the actual ambiguity of the event. Indeed, some 90 years later, even the most sophisticated baseball historians are still pondering the conundrum of a lifetime: Did Babe Ruth actually point towards the centerfield bleachers and "call" his home run or was he simply making a hand gesture out towards the mound at Charlie Root? While sports fans may never achieve full resolution for that momentous question, what we do know with 100% certainty is that the Bambino's "Called Shot" remains a "larger than life" story about baseball's undisputed greatest all-time player.
As legendary sportscaster Bob Costas once so eloquently noted: "Ruth's Called Shot is a fable that bears all the markings of a tall tale, yet refuses to give up its claim on the truth." Let's turn back the clock and set the stage for our passionate readers - this revered moment in time took place on October 1, 1932 at the Chicago Cub's Wrigley Field before some 50,000 delirious home fans, who focused a majority of their attention on jeering Ruth and literally riding him like a horse on Derby Day! The Yankees had already won the first two games of the Series in New York, with the Cubbies desperately needing to win game three. Ruth and Gehrig put on an awe-inspiring batting practice show for the 50,000 Cubs faithful, with Ruth blasting nine balls into the stands while Gehrig walloped seven long balls of his own - a sure sign of things to come at game-time.
Starting for the Cubs was formidable right-handed twirler Charlie Root, and the Yankees quickly jumped on him in the first inning via Ruth's three-run homer, with Gehrig added a solo round-tripper of his own in the third inning. Chicago battled back to tie the score at four in the bottom of the fourth, largely in part to Ruth falling down in a futile attempt to catch Billy Jurges double to left-field. By now, the Cub fans were furiously mocking "The Babe", rejoicing that Ruth had embarrassed himself via his fielding gaffe that allowed the tying run to score. Ironically, the immortal Babe Ruth would step into the batter's box in the top of the fifth, and after taking two strikes, he steadfastly raised a finger at each called strike as if to say - "that's one - that's two."
Working the count to 2-2, Ruth then made a gesture that will forever reside in baseball lore - casually pointing two fingers towards centerfield as if to say he was going to hit the next pitched ball out of the park towards the furthest confines of Wrigley Field. Well folks, Charlie Root's next pitch was absolutely crushed by the 'Sultan of Swat", with the horsehide sphere crashing into the centerfield scoreboard for one of the longest dingers ever recorded at Wrigley Field. As Ruth gleefully rounded the bases, he literally pushed his hands several times towards the Chicago dugout, basking in the glory of "equal time" at the Cub's players who had been mocking Ruth since the first inning. Ruth had exacted his revenge in the best possible way, letting his bat do all the talking, and forever leaving us to contemplate if he really called his shot? The evidence towards "The Babe" actually calling this exalted home run certainly leans in his favor.
The great Lou Gehrig was quoted after the game as saying: "I can't believe the big monkey got away with it", and many other Yankees also backed up Lou's notion that Ruth pointed towards centerfield before he crushed his colossal homer. However, the greatest indication of Ruth's "Called Shot" being spot-on accurate can be directed at renowned NBC radio broadcaster Tom Manning who definitively spoke these exact words for Ruth's earth-shattering blast: "and now the Babe is pointing out towards centerfield and he's yelling at the Cubs that the next pitch over is going out into centerfield - now he's looking towards the stands and here's the pitch - it's coming over and Ruth connects and there is goes - the ball is going... going... going high into the centerfield stands into the scoreboard and it's a home run." This iconic announcement truly attests to the fact that even broadcaster Tom Manning believed Ruth was calling his shot, and we cannot imagine a prominent NBC announcer uttering those words to millions of Americans in a celebrated World Series game unless he was absolutely sure of what he was actually witnessing. Of course, one of the naysayers would be pitcher Charlie Root who always claimed Ruth never called his shot. Root, most likely speaking via sheer pride, stated the Bambino was simply gesturing towards him, and that he would have put the next pitch in Ruth's ear had he thought Ruth was showing him up by pointing towards the centerfield bleachers.
Interestingly enough, the next batter, Lou Gehrig, would also blast his second homer of the game, with the Yankees going on to win by a 7-5 score and in almost anticlimactic fashion, ultimately sweep the Cubs in four straight games. From a collector's viewpoint, the two main artifacts tying them to that historic moment are either a "Called Shot" ticket or program. From a photographic perspective, PSA's photo authentication expert has always stated that to the best of his knowledge, no known "Type 1" image of Ruth either pointing towards centerfield before Root's pitch or actually hitting the "Called Shot" homer currently exists. From an imagery standpoint, hobbyists have virtually no illustrations to pursue other than a handful of "Type 2" images whereby Gehrig is shaking Ruth's hand as he crosses Homeplate. Furthermore, we have not seen ANY "Called Shot" ticket, program or "Type 2-4" image AUTOGRAPHED by Ruth, justifying why this Babe Ruth SIGNED "Called Shot" 1948 Courtley Toiletries magazine page merits a final resting place in Cooperstown, New York! Measuring approximately 8-1/4" x 9-1/2", it has been boldly signed "Babe Ruth" in black fountain pen on the grass patch near home plate, with PSA rightfully awarding the imposing script the hallowed "9 MINT" grade.
Along with the world-class signature, it is the momentous colorful image that both "steal the show", with an awe-inspiring illustration of the Babe outstretching his arm and pointing his colossal sized bat towards the centerfield bleachers. Adding to the luster of this historic offering are the sea of rowdy Cubs fans, and one can literally feel them howling, jeering, and cursing a slew of slanderous hostilities towards Ruth, effectively transcending time to that specific moment when it must have been sheer bedlam at Wrigley Field. The 1948 page itself is in outstanding condition, with the men's toiletries lower section depicting an array of popular men's colognes neatly removed (the original full-page measures approximately 10" x 13"). No glaring surface flaws are evident whatsoever, with the colorful hues still emanating a majority of their original breathtaking attributes. Directly beneath Ruth's majestic "Called Shot" pose is a promotional caption reading: "A GREAT MOMENT IN MASCULINITY - In the 1932 Yankees-Cubs World Series, Babe Ruth, with two strikes against him, pointed to the spot where he'd hit the next pitch for a home run. And then he did it!", as well as the following copyright: "Painted for the Courtley Collection by Robert Riggs."
For full disclosure, the verso reveals a negligible Kellogg's cereal ad that has no correlation with the critical obverse side. Of additional note, the fact that this magazine page was issued in early 1948 directly corroborates with the style of the Babe Ruth signature that portrays an "R" extremely consistent with Ruth's autograph from his final year. The Babe passed away on August 16, 1948 due to the ill effects of throat cancer, and virtually all of the Ruth scripts from his final 1948 year irrefutably reflect the same style distinct "R" that lost its typical flamboyant length due to Ruth's now unsteady right hand. Most significantly, to the best of our knowledge, this "one of a kind" offering stands tall as the only known scripted Babe Ruth "Called Shot" artifact extant, and as previously stated, it is not whether Ruth truly called his renowned homer that matters, but rather the entire captivating circumstance that once again saw the incomparable Ruth perform at his best on baseball's grandest stage. In closing we leave you with Babe Ruth's exact account of this unparalleled event, his own words that personifies why so many ardent fans truly believe he "called" this historic home run that will "echo for eternity!" "Well, I stepped out of the box and by that time they over there going crazy. Then I looked out into centerfield and I pointed - I said I'm going to hit the next pitched ball right past the flagpole. Well, the good Lord must have been with me." - Babe Ruth
MIN BID $10,000
