Babe Ruth statue coming to St. Pete marking 100 years since first Spring Training visit

The legend of Babe Ruth in the Tampa Bay area

This Saturday marks Babe Ruth Day in St. Petersburg, a city the baseball icon helped put on the map. FOX 13’s Lloyd Sowers takes a closer look.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In a place where baseball's future can seem murky at times, the sport's past is a straight baseline to the Babe – George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

"He's the guy who made St. Petersburg," said Bay Area historian Will Michaels. "He changed the whole city."

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The backstory:

When Ruth first came for spring training in 1925, the excitement lasted for years of successive visits.

"The population of the city would double, maybe even triple," said Michaels.

It made headlines in New York, where Ruth played for the Yankees during the regular season, but the spring belonged to St. Pete. Ruth helped make the place famous.

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"The City of St. Petersburg, the name was in the paper day, after day, after day," said Michaels, who is also a player and member of the Kids and Kubs, St. Pete's longest-running 75 and over softball team.

In fact, Ruth visited the Kids and Kubs in St. Pete in the early 1930s. There’s a photograph of the meeting that Michaels likes to show.

"This is Babe Ruth at 6 feet 2. He’s towering above the Kids and Cubs players," laughed Michaels.

What's next:

Now, a statue created by artist Blake Emory is on its way to St. Pete to mark 100 years since the Babe first came to St. Pete for Spring Training. The full-size statue depicts Ruth in an iconic moment where he stands at the plate and points toward the outfield seats, presumably where he plans to hit the ball.

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They will unveil the statue this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at North Shore Park in St. Pete. It will be followed by a Kids and Kubs game as they take on a team, which will include the mayor and some city council members.

Babe Ruth’s grandson is scheduled to throw out the first pitch. There’s no admission charge.

The Source: The information in this story was compiled through an interview with a local historian and member of Kids and Kubs.

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