Babe Ruth was one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. In an exciting World Series game, Ruth supposedly pointed to the center field bleachers, and then hit a ball to the astonished crowd that was seated there. People still tell stories of how many hotdogs Ruth could eat between innings. Babe Ruth loved kids. He showed this by always having time for them, signing autographs, and visiting them in the hospital. Some stories say that Babe Ruth was a wild drinker and stayed out all night the night before a game partying. Everyone will agree that he was a great player. During the 1920 season he hit .376 and hit 54 homeruns. When he retired in 1934, he had a total of 714 homeruns. Anyone that can do that is truly amazing!
Ken Griffey, Jr. was born November 21, 1969. He is 6'3" and weighs 205 lbs. He entered the majors in 1989. He has been a major league star since he was 19. He started the 1999 season with 350 career homeruns. He has won 9 Gold Glove awards. He has stolen 143 bases. In each of his five seasons from 1991 to 1995, Ken has batted .300 or better. Ken Griffey, Jr. is an electrifying player. One minute he is making a spectacular grab in centerfield, next he is hitting a ball over the outfield wall. He makes baseball look easy!
Mark McGwire was born on October 1, 1963. He is 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs. His major league career started in 1986. Mark can make baseballs fly out of the ballpark. He hit 39 homeruns in just 317 at-bats in 1995. In 1996, he lead the league in homers with 52. He is the first player to hit at least 50 homeruns in three straight seasons. In 1998, he bashed an astonishing 70 big ones. He can hit the ball 500 feet. Mark McGwire won the Rookie of the Year award in 1990. He has played for the Oakland A's and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cal Ripkin, Jr. was born on August 24, 1960. He is 6'4" and weighs 220 lbs. He started in the majors in 1981. Cal is the shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. He did not miss a baseball game in 14 years!!! That would be like going from kindergarten all the way through college without missing a day of school. On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripkin, Jr. played in his 2,131 straight game. He broke Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 straight games. In his 17 year career, Cal has been named Rookie of the Year, won two M.V.P. awards, and helped the Orioles win one World Series. Cal is an awesome defensive player. He holds a dozen fielding records at his position, including most consecutive games without making an error (1995) and the highest fielding average (.996).
Tony Gwynn was born May 9, 1960. He is 5'11" and weighs 220 lbs. He started his major league career in 1988. Tony Gwynn has always played for the San Diego Padres. He has won 8 batting titles. He has had over 3000 hits. He has had 899 multi-hit games. Tony Gwynn thought basketball was going to be his game. Aren't we lucky he tried baseball?!
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