Learn a little of Toronto's history as told through its plaques.

Babe Ruth in Toronto

Photo by Alan L Brown - September 2005

This plaque, erected by the Toronto Historical Board in 1985, was removed when the two new plaques were installed in 2006. It was originally located on the road curving off to the right at the Hanlan's Point ferry dock on Toronto Island. It said:

Near this site, at the old Hanlan's Point Stadium, on 5 September 1914, baseball's legendary Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a professional - the only home run he ever hit in the minor leagues. The lanky 19-year-old rookie, playing for the Providence Greys in the International League, connected with a pitch off Ellis Johnson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending the ball over the fence in right field and scoring three runs for his team. Ruth, as pitcher of his team, allowed only one hit and the Greys shut out Toronto 9-0. His later career made Babe Ruth a monumental figure in baseball history. This plaque commemorates both the extraordinary career of Babe Ruth and the important contribution made by Toronto to the game of baseball from "Little League" teams to the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League.

Plaque Location Co-ordinates: 43.627129 -79.390522

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Here are the comments for this page.

Posted April 24, 2009
I like Babe Ruth a lot. He was my favorite player.

Posted December 15, 2008
Thanks for taking the time to do this. I had read about Ruth's first professional homer, but I didn't know that the place and time had been remembered like this in Toronto. Anybody know how far that first homer went? Wouldn't you love to have that ball? Harry Hooper, who played with Ruth on the Red Sox championship teams of 1915, 1916, and 1918 (and taught Ruth how to play the outfield), said that he witnessed with wonder the transformation of an awkward and uneducated kid from a Baltimore reform school into something like a god. And that legendary and improbable journey to 714 started at this spot in Toronto. Wow ....

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