Ball for Ruth’s 60th Home Run Won’t Take to Heir Anymore

ATLANTA — The baseball that Babe Ruth hit for his 60th home run in 1927 is finally leaving the family of the fan who caught it.

George Siegel, who inherited the ball from his father in 1977, said Monday the ball will be auctioned Saturday in San Francisco.

Siegel said his father, Herb, then 14, got the ball in the right field stands at Yankee Stadium in what he described as a mad scramble on Sept. 30, 1927. The homer broke the record of 59 Ruth had set in 1921.

“Afterwards, he was throwing it up and playing catch,” Siegel said. When Herb Siegel’s uncle, who had taken him to the game, realized it was the record-setting ball, he took it away, Siegel said.

“They wound up in the dugout with Ruth and Lou Gehrig,” Siegel said.

Ruth offered his father $5 and another baseball, Siegel said. “Dad wanted to take (the money),” Siegel said, but his uncle wouldn’t let him.

Ruth and 11 other Yankees then autographed the ball, Siegel said, with Ruth adding “60” next to his name. Tom Zachary of the Washington Senators, who threw the home run pitch, also signed.

Siegel said his father’s parents knew the ball was valuable and took it away when he got home. “They gave it back when he got married,” Siegel said.

Siegel said his mother told him his father turned down an offer of $50,000 in 1961, when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were chasing Ruth’s record and the ball was newsworthyagain.

Siegel said he had turned down offers until an auction company contacted him. “Every man has his price,” Siegel said.