Babe Ruth’s 1st HR
TORONTO, April 20, 2005: The place where Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a professional is well on the way to being recognized with signage telling of the feat. Heritage Toronto, a charitable agency of the City of Toronto responsible for presenting heritage programming, has approved an application for commemorative plaques on the site where Ruth hit his one and only minor-league home run.
On September 5, 1914, Ruth was a 19-year old pitcher with the Providence Grays in the ‘AAA’ International League, which was one rung below the majors. Playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at an old ballpark at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands, Ruth tossed a one-hit shutout and smashed a three-run homer that is believed to have disappeared into Lake Ontario.
Jerry Amernic, whose novel Gift of the Bambino begins with an account of the home run, has been leading a campaign to have the site declared a heritage site and to have an interpretive display erected on the spot. The Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and the City of Toronto have all pledged their support.
In 1985 the city erected a small plaque on a rock at Hanlan’s Point, but many say it is hard to find and doesn’t do the moment justice. Toronto Mayor David Miller recently indicated his support publicly when he said, “If we do something to better honor that memory, I think it would be terrific.”
Jerry Amernic, who will be doing talks and book signings in New York from May 11-15, claims the 1914 ball wound up in the lake but others aren’t so sure. A veteran sports writer said he once interviewed a man who was at the game and that he told him the ball went over the fence into the right-field bleachers. However, a local historian says the ball went into the water and may still be sitting on the bottom of the lake.
“When I was doing research for my book,” says Jerry Amernic, “I discovered many stories about the ball. I heard it was stolen and even that it was bronzed and set up in a bar. But I’ve seen photos of the old ballpark and think it went into the lake which is the premise of my novel. One thing is for sure. This is the holy grail of all baseballs.”
The proposal for the heritage site calls for three commemorative plaques with photographs and text about the 1914 home run, the old park at Hanlan’s Point, and Toronto’s baseball history which goes back to the 1800s. Officials with Heritage Toronto say the Babe Ruth display could be ready in time for the beginning of the 2006 baseball season.
Contact:
Dorothy Stoikos or Jerry Amernic
416-284-0838