Tomasik: On the 50th anniversary of Stan Musial breaking a Babe Ruth record
From SABR member Mark Tomasik at RetroSimba on May 3, 2013:
When Lukasz Musial settled in Pennsylvania after leaving his native Poland, he, like many immigrants of that time, enjoyed following the exploits of Babe Ruth, a symbol of all that was possible in America.
Like his father, young Stan Musial also became a fan of the Bambino. Stan Musial remained an admirer, even though his first encounter with Ruth left him somewhat astonished.
Imagine then the significance to Stan Musial when, 50 years ago this month, he became the big-league career leader in extra-base hits, breaking the mark held for almost 30 years by none other than Babe Ruth.
On May 8, 1963, Musial, 42, hit a home run off former teammate Bob Miller of the Dodgers, giving the Cardinals’ standout 1,357 career extra-base hits, surpassing the standard established by Ruth (1,356). Boxscore
Read the full article here: http://retrosimba.com/2013/05/03/stan-musial-babe-ruth-was-the-greatest-who-ever-played/
Originally published: May 6, 2013. Last Updated: May 6, 2013.