Babe Ruth was a professional baseball player.
George Herman `` Babe '' Ruth Jr. ( February 6 , 1895 -- August 16 , 1948 ) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) spanned 22 seasons , from 1914 through 1935 . The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston , Massachusetts . Major League Baseball ( MLB ) is a professional baseball organization , the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . In baseball , the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher 's mound toward the catcher to begin each play , with the goal of retiring a batter , who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk .