George Herman Ruth Jr. was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "The Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat", he began his MLB career as a stellar 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 records, including career home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging ; the latter two still stand today. Only one of young George 's seven siblings, his younger sister Mamie, survived infancy.
Many aspects of Ruth 's childhood are undetermined, including the date of his parents ' marriage. When young
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Although St. Mary 's inmates received an education, students were also expected to learn work skills and help operate the school, particularly once the boys turned 12. Ruth became a shirtmaker, and was also proficient as a carpenter. He would adjust his own shirt collars, rather than having a tailor do it, even during his well-paid baseball career. The boys, aged 5 to 21, did most work around the facility, from cooking to shoemaking, and renovated St. Mary 's in 1912. The food was simple, and the Xaverian Brothers who ran the school insisted on strict discipline; corporal punishment was common. Ruth 's nickname there was "Niggerlips", as he had large facial features and was darker than most boys at the all-white reformatory.
Ruth was sometimes allowed to rejoin his family, or was placed at St. James 's Home, a supervised residence with work in the community, but he was always returned to St. Mary 's. He rarely was visited by his family; his mother died when he was 12 and by some accounts, he was permitted to leave St. Mary 's only to attend the funeral. How Ruth came to play baseball there is uncertain: according to one account, his placement at St. Mary 's was due in part to repeatedly breaking Baltimore 's windows with long hits while playing street ball; by another, he was told