1935 Boston Braves season

Offseason

• October 2, 1934: Bill Lewis was drafted by the Braves from the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 rule 5 draft.
• February 26, 1935: Babe Ruth was signed as a free agent by the Braves.

Regular season

On opening day, Babe Ruth was part of all of the Braves' runs in a 4–2 win over the New York Giants. However, Ruth was only a shadow of his former self. Although he had a fairly decent season in 1934, years of high living had begun taking their toll on his conditioning. His deterioration became more pronounced in early 1935. He couldn't run, and his fielding was so terrible that three of the Braves' pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth was in the lineup. A month into the season, Ruth stopped hitting as well. It soon became obvious that Ruth's titles as vice president and assistant manager were mere window dressing, and that he was only on the team due to the attention he commanded. He also discovered that rather than give him a share of the Braves' profits, Fuchs expected him to invest some of his money in the team.

Seeing a team in utter collapse and realizing he was finished even as a part-time player, Ruth retired on June 1, six days after he had what remains one of the most memorable afternoons in baseball history. He clouted what turned out to be the last three home runs of his career in a game at Forbes Field while playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. He'd wanted to quit as early as May 12, but Fuchs wanted him to hang on so he could play in every National League park. Fuchs lost control of the team soon afterward.

Despite fielding essentially the same team that finished fourth a year earlier, the 1935 season quickly turned into a debacle. In fact, their Opening Day win was the only time they were over .500 all year. They won only four games in May and never recovered. By the time Ruth retired they were 10-27, 16.5 games out of first, and their season was all but finished. They ultimately won only 28 more times to finish 38–115, the worst season in franchise history. Their .248 winning percentage is tied for the seventh-worst in baseball history, and the sixth-worst in National League history. It is the second-worst in modern baseball history (behind only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics), and the worst in modern National League history. During the season, Braves pitcher Ben Cantwell would be the last pitcher in the 20th century to lose at least 25 games in one season. The only highlight was outfielder Wally Berger, who led the League in home runs (34) and RBIs (130).

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• June 1, 1935: Babe Ruth announces his retirement.
• August 5, 1935: Shanty Hogan was released by the Braves.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Farm system

References

References

1. (1994). "The Best & Worst Baseball Teams of All Time: From the '16 A's to the '27 Yanks to the Present!". SPI Books.
2. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lewisbi01.shtml Bill Lewis page at Baseball Reference]
3. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ruthba01.shtml Babe Ruth page at Baseball Reference]
4. Neyer, Rob. (2006). "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders". Fireside.
5. ''Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures'', 2008 Edition, p.349, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, {{ISBN. 978-0-451-22363-0
6. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hogansh01.shtml Shanty Hogan page at Baseball Reference]
7. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997