The New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth for his alleged home run in the 1932 World Series has sold for $24 million, cementing its place as the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia.
Sunday’s record sale by Heritage Auctions further reinforces the legend about that day 92 years ago at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where, as legend has it, Ruth pointed to center field before his next pitch, announcing the location of his next home run. There’s no doubt that the Bambino homered off Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root on his next swing, but repeated analysis and retellings of that moment have cast doubt on the historical accuracy of the “called shot,” with many concluding that it probably didn’t happen that way.
Still, the story continues, and after a six-hour bidding war, Ruth’s jersey sold for $24.21 million, nearly double the previous record for the most expensive sports collectible item, according to Heritage Auctions, which auctioned the item. That record had stood since August 2022, when a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million.
Heritage auctioneers said Ruth's jersey was “photographed by a third party” and used multiple photos from that day, Oct. 1, 1932, including one from the Chicago Daily News that showed Ruth with Lou Gehrig on the Wrigley Field bench.
The jersey’s new owner, who was not identified, purchased “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction,” Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports, said in a statement.
Years after retiring from baseball in 1935, Ruth gave his jersey to a golfing friend in Florida, where it remained in that family's possession until the 1990s, when a sports auctioneer bought the shirt, Heritage officials said. It was later auctioned in 2005 for $940,000 and remained in a private collection until last weekend.
As legend has it, Ruth became incensed by angry Cubs fans and players, and during his at-bat in the fifth inning, already down by two strikes, he gestured toward center field, then hit a home run where he had indicated.
But a 1995 Times article detailed a recent review of the evidence from that day and found little indication that it happened as the story has been perpetuated, calling it “the baseball legend that won't die.”
The analysis, which included grainy film of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, testimony from other players nearby and even private comments from Ruth, found that he made some sort of gesture before hitting one of his two home runs that day, but it was not the location of his next homer.
Some say he was possibly egging on the pitcher or responding to the home team's rowdy dugout, but some insist he was gesturing toward center.
And so, the appeal remains.
“The strong participation in the auction and the record price achieved demonstrate that astute collectors have no doubt about what this Ruth jersey is and what it represents,” Ivy said. “The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his ‘true shot’ come together in this extraordinary artifact.”
