Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium April 27, 1947

On This Day in Baseball History April 27, 1947: In front of 58,339 fans, the New York Yankees hold "Babe Ruth Day" to honor the ailing baseball legend.

The article 58, 339 Acclaim Babe Ruth in Rare Tribute at Stadium by Louis Effrat from the New York Times dated April 28, 1947 quoted the Babe as saying:

Painting by Graig Kreindler

"Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen," he began. "You know how bad my voice sounds. Well, it feels just as bad. You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys. And after you've been a boy, and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in our national pastime." Now the Babe's big smile was visible to everyone. Still a very sick man, he emphasized his remarks with a clenched fist and a wave of the hand.

"The only real game in the world, I think, is baseball," he continued. "As a rule, some people think if you give them a football or a baseball or something like that, naturally, they're athletes right away. But you can't do that in baseball. You've gotta start from way down the bottom, when you're 6 or 7 years old. You can't wait until you're 15 or 16. You've gotta let it grow up with you, and if you're successful and you try hard enough, you're bound to come out on top, just like these boys have come to the top now.

"There's been so many lovely things said about me, I'm glad I had the opportunity to thank everybody. Thank you."

Babe Ruth's number 3 jersey would be retired at a ceremony at Yankee Stadium celebrating the Silver Anniversary of Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948. Babe Ruth would pass away two months later on August 16, 1948.

Here is the newsreel of Babe Ruth Day from Yankee Stadium April 27, 1947 from YouTube:

Though I don't need to say it, we'll never see another player like Babe Ruth. Ever. Until Then Keep Playing Ball, Baseball Sisco #baseballsisco #baseballsiscokidstyle