Few people know that seven native-born Marylanders have earned a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This collective biography chronicles the lives and careers of the state’s baseball elite in words and period photographs. These Maryland players represent baseball’s greatest players, beginning with Baltimore’s own Babe Ruth, who began his legendary major league career with the Boston Red Sox in 1914. The Babe’s dynamic personality, coupled with his record of 714 home runs, made him the game’s most famous player. The other Marylanders who hold baseball’s greatest honor are Vic Willis, who pitched the dreaded “grapevine sinker”; famed hitter “Home Run” Baker, whose nickname tells his story; William Julius “Judy” Johnson, star third baseman from the Negro Leagues; Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove, the southpaw who could “throw a lamb chop past a wolf”; Jimmie Foxx, powerful slugger and threetime MVP; and Al Kaline, outstanding outfielder and batting champion. Grades 4 to 8