Babe Ruth, American baseball player, c1914-c1935. Christened George Herman Ruth, Jr, 'Babe' Ruth (1895-1948) was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He began his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1914 but was sold to the New York Yankees after the 1919 season He played for the Yankees until 1934 before ending his career with a final season playing for the Boston Braves. Ruth's career total of 714 home runs stood as a record for 39 years, until it was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974.