Babe Ruth's 500th Home Run

On August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth hit a home run off Cleveland Indians pitcher Willis Hudlin at League Park, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach 500 career home runs. Ruth was 34 years old and in his tenth season with the New York Yankees.

No other active player was within 300 home runs of Ruth's total at the time; the sport's home run totals had been reshaped almost entirely by Ruth's own power since he began focusing on hitting over pitching in 1919. It would be about another decade before Jimmie Foxx became the second player to reach 500.

Ruth retired in 1935 with 714 home runs, a total that stood as the career record for 39 years until Hank Aaron passed it in 1974.