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Did Babe Ruth call his home run in the 1932 World Series?

Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees rolled into Chicago for Game 3 of the 1932 World Series with a 2–0 series lead. The Babe felt the wrath of Cubs fans upon arrival — and so did his wife. The two were booed in a local restaurant. At the stadium for Game 3, Ruth was heckled mercilessly, particularly after he dropped a fly ball that allowed the tying run to score.

In the fifth inning, Ruth stepped to the plate against Charley Root. According to the legend, Ruth then raised his arm and pointed to centre field, vowing to hit a home run into the centre field bleachers. On the next pitch, he did just that.

Did it really happen? In all likelihood, no. Players on both teams have said Ruth never called his shot, and was merely taunting the Cubs bench by pointing out how many strikes he had (and presumably indicating that he wasn’t bothered). Even Ruth denied that he called his shot for years, though later in life he was willing to let the legend thrive.

So, it makes for a good story, and some fun action in the otherwise terrible movies that have been made about Ruth’s life, but the story is fictional.

Did the seventh-inning stretch begin when U.S.President William Howard Taft stood during a game?