Ruth’s final career home run was the first fair ball hit completely out of Forbes Field. He hit it for the Boston Braves in Pittsburgh on May 25, 1935, during the final great burst of his playing career.
The homer was Ruth’s 714th and final major-league home run, and it was his third home run of the game against the Pirates. The ball cleared Forbes Field’s large right-field roof, a feat no previous hitter had accomplished in the park. Ruth was 40 years old and nearing the end of a 22-season career.
The dramatic blast sometimes gets confused with Ruth’s final game. He played his last game five days later, on May 30, 1935, against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he did not homer. Forbes Field therefore marks the end of his home-run career, while his final appearance came at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Ruth retired shortly afterward.