The Ruthian Feat of Pablo Sandoval

On October 6, 1926, Babe Ruth powered New York to a game 4 win over St. Louis with three homers at Sportsman's Park. Some called his third the longest ever hit there, as it cleared the stadium's center field wall and smashed a shop window across the street. It also marked the first time a World Series batter slugged three homers in one game. (PinstripedBible posted a nice feature this year to honor the anniversary.)

Pablo Sandoval put his own Ruthian stamp on the 2012 series by sending three shots out of Candlestick Park Pac Bell Park AT&T Park tonight. We can assume cards of Kung Fu Panda are lighting up eBay and COMC as you read these words.

2011 Topps Heritage #40, Pablo Sandoval

Ruth hit three homers in one game several other times, but his second-best known might be as a Boston Brave on May 25, 1935. That afternoon saw him club career #712 off Pittsburgh starter Red Lucas and #713 and #714 off reliever Guy Bush, the last three Babe would hit. His final homer cleared Forbes Field's 89-foot roof, a first for the 25 year-old ballpark.

Guy Bush was so impressed with Ruth, he gracefully accepted his part in the slugger's final chapter; this 1966 letter to a fan captures that sentiment.

"I feel proud that Babe Ruth hit his last 2 Home Runs off of me – as he more or less made Base Ball what it is to-day. He was by far the greatest of all players."

Ruth appears several times in the #5 type collection, often in sets dedicated to his larger significance as its first transcendent superstar. Each link goes to a set profile.

• 1920 W519 strip cards
• 1921 W521 strip cards
• 1924 Willard's Chocolates
• 1928 Fro-joy Ice Cream
• 1928 Babe Ruth Candy
• 1948 Swell "The Babe Ruth Story"movie cards
• 1980 Babe Ruth Classic Baseball
• 1980 TCMA All-Time Yankees

Thanks to all who've followed along this far; this post marks #714 for the type collection. I can confirm that writing that much about baseball cards makes you feel more like Guy Bush than Babe Ruth!