The year was 1914. Baltimore’s major league presence was a ghost story; the Orioles had packed up for New York in 1903, becoming the Highlanders (soon the Yankees). But the minor league team still thrived under Jack Dunn. He wasn’t just a manager who bought his way into ownership by 1910. He was a broker.
Dunn made his real money selling talent to the majors. He knew where to look. He listened to the whispers from Mount St. Joseph’s Brother Gilbert. He talked to Joe Engel, a former MLB pitcher and school alumnus. He even listened to George Herman Ruth Sr., the boy’s father, and other Baltimore bartenders who heard about “the speed boy.”
Dunn had already signed another St. Mary’s kid, Paul Morrisette. Now he needed another.
The Two Homerun Test
Brother Gilbert had seen the young George Ruth Jr. play in September 1913. He didn’t need to see a full game to know he was special. He saw two moments that defined a future legend.
In one at-bat, the opposing rightfielder panicked. He retreated all the way from his normal position near the outfield grass to the second base line in the “Little Yard.” That fence was 280 feet away. The boys playing defense stopped. They recognized who was at the plate. Ruth didn’t miss. He hit the ball off the farthest fence in the Little Yard. That was on a “dead ball” era diamond. The ball didn’t fly far on its own.
In another game, Ruth hit two home runs.
The kid had grace. He was calm on the mound and poised at the plate. He wasn’t the wild, tobacco-chewing dock rat from twelve years prior. He was responsible. He still had fun, but he had grown up.
The Signing at St. Mary’s
Dunn arrived at St. Mary’s on February 14, 1914. He brought Brother Gilbert and Fritz Maisel, a Yankee infielder. They met Brother Matthias, Ruth’s mentor.
Dunn said why he was there.
Brother Matthias gave a one-word assessment: “Hit.”
Dunn asked, “Can he pitch?”
“Sure. He can do anything.” The brother was king-sized. His assessment was too.
Dunn threw the ball around with Ruth for half an hour. He signed him on the spot.
Since Ruth was still a legal ward of the school head, Brother Paul, Dunn had to assume guardianship. This was standard. It was how the Brothers “graduated” boys into full-time work.
George Herman Ruth Jr. signed for $100 a month. Six hundred dollars for the full season.
For a kid who used to steal change or earn “candy credits” by sewing shirts, that was a fortune.
Word spread fast. As Dunn and Ruth left Brother Paul’s office, a group of St. Mary’s boys waited outside. Someone shouted, “There goes our ball club.”
Heading South
Two weeks later, Ruth visited his father at the family home above the saloon. It was his last weekend in Baltimore.
He had instructions. Report to the Keenan Hotel on Monday, March 2. Join a group of pitchers and catchers. Head south to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Spring training.
He must have been nervous. He must have been excited.
He left for Fayetteville. The rest is history. Or at least, the start of it.
