Babe Ruth

High school

St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys

Babe Ruth is universally regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time — and he was born and raised in Baltimore. At age seven he was enrolled in St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys on Wilkens Avenue in Baltimore, where he lived and was educated for most of his youth (1902–1914). Under the mentorship of Brother Matthias Boutlier, Ruth developed into a dominant left-handed pitcher and power hitter. He signed with the minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1914 at age 19 and was sold to the Boston Red Sox the same year. Ruth went on to win 3 World Series titles with the Red Sox and 4 more with the New York Yankees, setting the single-season home run record of 60 in 1927. He retired with 714 career home runs and a .342 career batting average. His influence on American baseball and popular culture is immeasurable. St. Mary's Industrial School later became Cardinal Gibbons High School, which closed in 2010.