Had he not survived the 1918 pandemic, Babe Ruth would not be one of the greatest sports heroes of all time and he would not have had the opportunity to play over a hundred rounds of golf on the Jungle course in our neighborhood. |
| 1918 Boston Red Sox (colorized) |
Ruth was a star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1918 and was first infected in March in Hot Springs, Arkansas where the Boston Red Sox trained.
He recovered, but when he became ill again in Boston on May 19th ‒ with a fever of 104⁰, the team physician swabbed his throat with a silver nitrate solution ‒ a common treatment for sore throat at that time, but dangerous if ingested. According to Roberts and Smith "the treatment hit Ruth like a line drive to the throat. He choked and gagged, writhed in pain, and finally collapsed...a physician packed his inflamed throat in ice. Soon rumors shot through Boston that “the Colossus … worth more than his weight in gold” was on his deathbed.."
After his second recovery, Babe Ruth led the Red Sox to the World Series where he pitched 29 consecutive scoreless innings, a record that stood until 1961. The Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, four games to two, proof of what Friedrich Nietzsche said: "What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger."
After one more season in Boston, Babe Ruth was sold to New York. The Red Sox would not win another World Series until 2004.
After his baseball career was over, Babe Ruth said he was more proud of the World Series pitching accomplishment than of his home run records.
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| 1992 Megacards Babe Ruth 1918 World Series #32 (colorized) |
