George Herman "Babe" Ruth began his professional baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles, then a minor league team. Before the end of his first season in 1914, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Although he began his career as a pitcher, his hitting was better and he began to play regularly in the outfield. Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920. He played with the Yankees until the end of the 1934 season and then played briefly with the Boston Braves. Known as the "Sultan of Swat," he hit 714 career home runs and tied or set 76 batting or pitching records. His lifetime batting average was .342. Ruth was one of the first five players chosen for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.