August 21, 1931: New York Yankees outfielder Babe Ruth hits his 600th career home run in a 11-7 victory against at the St. Louis Browns.
Ruth first entered the league as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1914. Ruth did not receive significant playing time, however, until the following season when he recorded a 2.44 ERA and an 18-8 record.
It wasn't until he was traded to the rival New York Yankees in 1920 that Ruth emerged as one of the game's offensive greats.
In New York, Ruth quickly stopped pitching and started hitting a remarkable amount of home runs every year. In just his first season there, Ruth hit a league-leading and then-record 54 home runs with 115 RBI. Ruth then went on to break that mark the very next season, hitting 59 in 1921.
Ruth led the league in home runs in eight out of 10 seasons in the 1920s, including a new MLB record of 60 during the 1927 season, again, breaking his own record.
In 1929 season, Ruth became the first player to become a member of the 500 home run club, a feat that was thought to be unimaginable before Ruth started dominating the league. No one else reached 500 until Mel Ott in 1945.
In 1931 Ruth reached 600. Although the Yankees didn't win the World Series that year, they would go on to do so the following year.
Ruth went on to further cement his legacy, finishing his career with 714 home runs, and becoming one of the five players in the first Hall of Fame Class in 1936. He passed away at 53 from cancer on August 16, 1948.
