How it unfolded
Up 2–0 in the Series, the Yankees arrived at Wrigley in a foul mood. Chicago had given former Yankee shortstop Mark Koenig only a half World Series share after a mid-season arrival; the Yankees dugout called the Cubs cheap, and the crowd and bench rode Babe Ruth hard. In the fifth, tied 4–4 before 49,986, Ruth faced Charlie Root at 2–2, gestured toward something, then drove the next pitch deep into the centre-field seats. Lou Gehrig homered on the next at-bat; New York won 7–5. Ruth and Gehrig each hit two that day. Whether Ruth pointed at the fence or at Root to say one strike remained is still unsettled — Root denied a called shot for life, and Ruth's own accounts drifted. The Yankees swept Game 4 the next day.
Why it still matters
A case study in how baseball builds myth. Film is inconclusive and testimony conflicts, yet the "called shot" remains the sport's most cited scene and turned Ruth from a statistical presence into a narrative one. The sweep also bridged the 1927 Murderers' Row dynasty into the four-peat of the 1930s.