Did Babe Ruth Copy “Shoeless” Joe Jackson?

Babe Ruth was one of the most feared presences on home plate. That’s just baseball lore. But he also imposed his authority from the mound early in his career. He, in fact, started out as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. The transition to hitter happened later on in his career after several coaches had spotted the ability of the youngster.

Add to that Ruth’s move to the outfield as a position player and you get the Bambino as we know him today. But before his switch to the Yankee Stadium from Fenway Park, and before we knew what George Herman Ruth was truly capable of in power hitting; another baseball player inspired him to pick up the bat. Who? “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

Babe was in many ways credited with changing the game of baseball. From the dead-ball era, when the scores of games were decided in single-digit runs and before the time of exciting games, Ruth bought the game forward. He made it appealing to several viewers across the nation and endeared baseball to the public. How? Through his sheer power-hitting ability. Babe Ruth made the game of baseball tick faster simply by getting on the diamond and the game loved him for it. The present live-ball era of baseball is often credited to solely Babe Ruth who bought it here.

Read More: How Did Babe Ruth Get His Iconic ‘Babe’ Nickname?

Babe Ruth copied “Shoeless” Joe Jackson

Shoeless Joe Jackson was a marvelous hitter of the ball; even those that asterisk Jackson’s record admit that fact. In fact, so much so that even Babe Ruth was inspired by his swing. It was that which really made Ruth turn into the batter that he turned out to be.

Ruth quoted saying, “I copied (Shoeless Joe) Jackson’s style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He’s the guy who made me a hitter.”

Jackson was peculiar back then for his action. His swing was unconventional, but it worked.

In an era where it was out of character, Jackson swung the bat harder than most. Batters used to punch the ball at the time; but not Joe. He swung through it on a line. The two had such a likeness in their action that even media personnel noted it. When asked, Babe Ruth even said “I copied my swing after Joe Jackson’s.”

So, in a roundabout way, we may actually have Jackson to thank for Babe Ruth. A player many regards as one of the greatest of all time.