No. 60 Has Been Eclipsed but Never Forgotten

The home run Babe Ruth hit 72 years ago today remains his signature achievement, even though three others have since surpassed his single-season home run record that stood for 34 years.

Ruth’s 17th homer in September, on the season’s next-to-last day, was his 60th. In the 1920s, when Ruth four times hit at least 50 homers, he routinely hit more home runs than entire teams.

And so it was when he finished 1927 with 60. The next closest team to him in the American League was the Philadelphia Athletics, with 56. The Yankees hit 158, including 47 by Lou Gehrig.

Ruth, who had hit the 400th home run of his career four weeks earlier, tagged Washington pitcher Tom Zachary for No. 60. It came with one out in the eighth inning of a 2-2 tie. Mark Koenig had tripled ahead of Ruth.

On a 1-1 count, Zachary tried a knee-high fastball that Ruth drove down the right-field line. “Foul!” cried Zachary, but the ball landed in the seats, fair by 10 feet.

The ball was caught by Joe Forner of New York, a 35-year baseball fan.

Ruth had set the record of 59 in 1921. Sixty would stand until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa buried that with 70 and 66 in 1998.

In the Yankee clubhouse, Ruth was jubilant.

“Sixty! Count ‘em, 60!” he shouted. “Let’s see some other SOB match that!”

Years later, Zachary said, “I’d rather have thrown at his big, fat head.”

Long forgotten is that the game marked Walter Johnson’s final major league appearance. He pinch-hit for Zachary in the ninth inning and flied out to Ruth. Johnson, 39, had won 417 games.

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Also on this date: In 1934, Babe Ruth wore Yankee pinstripes for the final time. He went 0 for 4 at Washington after 2,084 games with the Yankees. Later, he was traded to the Boston Braves. . . . In 1959, Wilt Chamberlain made his NBA debut in an exhibition game at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. . . . In 1972, Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente doubled for his 3,000th and final major league hit.