The 1935

1935 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs *All-Star Game, July 8 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 4-1-Other champions:*Negro League Baseball All-Star Game, August 11 at Comiskey Park: West, 11-8...

Boston Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

season saw the Braves finish with the worst record in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 and the majors, with a record of 38 wins and 115 losses.

In an attempt to make his dream come true to manage, Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

 came to the Braves in February 1935. He was hired as vice president and assistant manager, and team owner Emil Fuchs

Emil Fuchs (baseball)

Emil Edwin Fuchs was a German-born American baseball owner and executive....

 promised Ruth a share of team profits.

Offseason

• October 2, 1934: Bill Lewis
  Bill Lewis (baseball)
  William Henry Lewis was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of three seasons in the majors; for the St. Louis Cardinals, and and for the Boston Braves ....
  
   was drafted by the Braves from the St. Louis Cardinals
  St. Louis Cardinals
  The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
  
   in the 1934 rule 5 draft
  Rule 5 draft
  The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
  
  .
• February 26, 1935: Babe Ruth
  Babe Ruth
  George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
  
   was signed as a free agent by the Braves.

Regular season

On opening day, Babe Ruth was part of all of the Braves' runs in a 4-2 win over the New York Giants

1935 New York Giants season

The 1935 New York Giants season was the 11th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons...

. However, Ruth was only a shadow of his former self, as years of high living had made a shambles of his conditioning. He couldn't run, and his fielding was so terrible that three of the Braves' pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth were in the lineup. A month into the season, Ruth stopped hitting as well. It soon became obvious that Ruth's titles as vice president and assistant manager were mere window dressing, and that he was only on the team due to the attention he commanded. He also discovered that rather than give him a share of the Braves' profits, Fuchs expected him to invest some of his money in the team.

Seeing a team in utter collapse and realizing he was finished as a player, Ruth retired on June 1, six days after he had had what remains one of the most memorable afternoons in baseball history. He clouted what turned out to be the last three home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s of his career in a game at Forbes Field

Forbes Field

Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...

 while playing the Pittsburgh Pirates

1935 Pittsburgh Pirates season

‎The Pittsburgh Pirates season was a season in American baseball which involved the Pirates finishing fourth in the National League.The roster featured four future Hall of Famers: player-manager Pie Traynor, shortstop Arky Vaughan, center fielder Lloyd Waner, and right fielder Paul Waner.-...

. He'd wanted to quit as early as May 12, but Fuchs wanted him to hang on so he could play in every National League park. Fuchs lost control of the team soon afterward.

Despite fielding essentially the same team that finished fourth a year earlier, the 1935 season quickly turned into a debacle. In fact, their Opening Day win was the only time they were over .500 all year. The Braves finished 38-115, the worst season in franchise history. Their .248 winning percentage is the third-worst in baseball history (behind only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders

1899 Cleveland Spiders season

The Cleveland Spiders season was a season in American baseball. It was their 13th season in the major leagues, their 11th season in the National League and their last season in existence....

 and 1916 Philadelphia Athletics

1916 Philadelphia Athletics season

The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing 8th in the American League with a record of 36 wins and 117 losses. The 1916 team is often considered by baseball historians the worst team in American League history, and its .235 winning percentage is still the lowest ever for a...

) and the second-worst in modern baseball history. During the season, Braves pitcher Ben Cantwell

Ben Cantwell

Benjamin Caldwell Cantwell was an American major league baseball pitcher from 1927-1937. He was a graduate of the University of Tennessee.-External links:...

 would be the last pitcher in the 20th century to lose at least 25 games in one season.

Notable transactions

• June 1, 1935: Babe Ruth
  Babe Ruth
  George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
  
   announces his retirement.
• August 5, 1935: Shanty Hogan
  Shanty Hogan
  James Francis "Shanty" Hogan was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1925 to 1937. Hogan was listed at 6'1", 240 pounds — an exceptionally large player, especially for his era. Due to this, there are many anecdotes relating to Hogan and food...
  
   was released by the Braves.

Roster

1935 Boston Braves
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		92	260	63	.242	1	16
1B		130	470	131	.279	5	35
2B		116	412	113	.274	2	25
3B		126	458	125	.273	4	60
SS		132	514	118	.230	4	30
OF		150	589	174	.295	34	130
OF		112	422	128	.303	0	39
OF		112	297	81	.273	4	30

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	125	407	112	.275	4	42
	86	284	67	.236	1	29
	59	163	49	.301	2	25
	28	72	13	.181	6	12
	23	67	10	.149	0	5
	6	4	0	.000	0	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	40	230.2	11	15	4.76	64
	29	174.2	5	19	5.00	61

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	39	210.2	4	25	4.61	34
	46	203.1	8	18	3.94	58
	44	159.2	2	9	5.47	40
	15	65	1	8	6.37	17
	10	40.1	0	5	5.36	10

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	29	2	3	0	6.88	21
	6	0	0	0	1.56	4
	3	0	0	0	3.86	0

Farm system