This Day in History: The Sox Sell the Babe
Whoops.
On this day in 1920, the Boston Red Sox made one of the biggest blunders in sports transaction history when they announced the sale of legendary pitcher/slugger Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for a then-record $100,000 in cash.
The sale sparked the Yankees’ rise as the dominant baseball organization of the 20th century, and consequently became the iceberg that sank Boston’s World Series dreams for the next 84 years.
Red Sox owner Harry Frazee (who was a theater owner from New York, ironically) also secured a $300,000 loan as part of the deal, which was secured on a mortgage on Fenway Park.
The move was met with immediate criticism from the locals, and Frazee sold the team in 1923.
Seven World Series championships, 659 home runs, and 1 cursed franchise later, the “Sultan of Swat’’ left his mark, and Boston fans were left wondering “What if?’’
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