Everything You Need To Know About Babe Ruth’s Bat

Babe Ruth's wood bat is one of the most iconic artifacts in sports history, symbolizing the power and legacy of one of baseball's legends. Ruth, known as "The Sultan of Swat," was larger than life during the early 20th century. One of the world’s first superstar athletes. His iconic Louisville Slugger bat played a crucial role in elevating his legendary status. Babe changed the way the game was played. Babe’s storied career left an indelible imprint on America's pastime. In this article, the Bat Experts at JustBats outline the baseball bat used by the Great Bambino. 

Babe Ruth swung a Louisville Slugger ash wood baseball bat. This iconic piece of baseball history recently sold at an auction in New York for $1.85 million. This transaction made Babe Ruth’s bat the most expensive baseball bat in history.

Beyond the steep price tag, Babe Ruth’s bat symbolized an entire era. In the early stages of baseball history, hitters were swinging ash wood bats with positive drop weights. While wood bats today are generally drop -3 (three inches longer than ounces heavy) the power hitters back then toted bats heavier than they are long. To put it simply, these wood bats were very heavy by today’s standards and made to be incredibly durable.

 

One of the reasons collectors are so fond of this particular item is because there is imagery that proves Babe Ruth swung this bat in games. Historians have been able to match the wood bat grain, like human fingerprints, to gameday pictures of Ruth at the plate. Here are a couple of those pictures.

While the bat remains in excellent condition it’s hard to imagine how different the game was back in the early stages of baseball history. Nevertheless, Babe’s presence and aura in the baseball community stands as strong as ever before.

Babe Ruth's bat was unusually heavy by today's standards, weighing in at an astonishing 44 ounces and measuring 36 inches in length. No modern-day baseball player swings anything close to the log used by Babe Ruth. Modern players prefer lighter, more balanced bats for faster swings, but Ruth's strength and slower pitching allowed him to effectively swing a substantially heavier bat to the tune of 714 home runs. While it was a behemoth compared to today's standards, it only further goes to show just how strong of a man Babe Ruth was.

Hitting With Babe Ruth’s Bat