100 years ago in baseball: Spokane highlights the blockbuster sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees

The Spokesman-Review rarely ran sports news on the front page, but this was a blockbuster.

“New York Club Buys Babe Ruth,” said the headline.

The New York Yankees, referred to as the New York Americans in the pages of The Spokesman-Review, had purchased Ruth from Boston in what would go down in sports history as a legendary trade. Ruth, 26, was already known as the Home Run King, although his biggest years were still ahead. He had reportedly been unhappy with his Boston contract and said if he did not get a raise to $20,000, he would not return to Boston. The Yankees refused to disclose what they paid for Ruth.

He had originally been signed as a pitcher by the Red Sox, but was also used as a pinch hitter on his non-pitching days because of “his ability to send out long hits.” He broke a major league record with 29 home runs the previous season.

From the health beat: Good news abounded on the health front.

Only six cases of flu had been reported in Spokane, a relief after the devastating 1919 flu epidemic that killed hundreds in the city.

Also, authorities had been concerned about a smallpox epidemic, with a total of 293 cases already confirmed. However, the number of new cases continued to go down.