There were 713 that came before it, but Babe Ruth's final home run -- hit May 25, 1936 at Forbes Field -- was a towering shot that gave fans in attendance a stark reminder of the Bambino's past glory, and added a wrinkle to baseball history in Pittsburgh.

	File, Post-Gazette The front page of the Pittsburgh Press the day after Babe Ruth hit the last home runs of his career at Forbes Field. Click photo for larger image. Return to index

Original accounts from the Pittsburgh Press indicate that the ball scorched to earth, hitting a rooftop at 318 Bouquet St., in the city's Oakland section, some 600 feet from home plate. Except that there's a knot in that yarn: Bouquet Street was in foul territory. No one contests that the home run was legitimate, nor is their any argument that it was a titanic blast. But further research has indicated that No. 714 -- the last of three Ruth hit that afternoon in an 11-7 Boston Braves loss to the Pirates -- most likely touched down behind the right field fence on Joncaire Street and either ended up in a backyard on that street or bounced down the steep hill toward Panther Hollow and was chased down by a small group of boys.

Either way, that ball has found a permanent home at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. An accompanying card says the ball was donated by one Henry "Wiggy" DeOrio, who in 1935 was a boy living in Oakland.

Related coverage Read eyewitness accounts of the Bambino's final blasts
See a full size PDF file of the Pittsburgh Press sports section from the day following Ruth's final blasts

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