The jersey that Babe Ruth wore when he made his famous ‘called shot’ during the 1932 World Series, hitting a home run to center field, sold for over $24 million at auction early Sunday.
Heritage Auctions reported that the jersey, worn by the New York Yankees star, fetched a record-breaking $24.12 million after a bidding war that lasted more than six hours in Dallas. The buyer chose to remain anonymous, according to Heritage.
This sale amount surpassed the $12.6 million that Mickey Mantle’s 1952 rookie card sold for in 2022 through the same auction house.
Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports, called the jersey “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction.” He noted that the intense bidding clearly showed collectors’ recognition of the jersey’s importance and significance.
“The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his ‘called shot’ are united in this one extraordinary artifact,” Ivy said.
Ruth’s famous ‘called shot’ occurred during Game 3 of the World Series between the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago on October 1, 1932. During the fifth inning, Ruth made a pointing gesture while at bat and then hit the home run off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root.
Michael Gibbons, director emeritus and historian at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore, called it “the most dramatic moment in World Series history, and it may be the most dramatic moment ever in all of baseball.”
The Yankees won the game 7-5 and went on to sweep the Cubs the next day to win the series.
This was Ruth’s last World Series, and the ‘called shot’ was his last home run in a World Series, according to Mike Provenzale, the production manager for Heritage’s sports department.
