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"The House That Ruth Built" gets its big send-off this week as Major League Baseball celebrates Yankee Stadium one last time at its annual All-Star Game. With an all-new, mega-engineered stadium already under construction for next season, the memories are fading fast—but Babe Ruth's swing will live in infamy.

Ruth joined the Yankees in 1920 and almost immediately made his mark on the game, practically re-writing the record books in his 15 years in New York. Halfway through his career there, the Babe gave PM an in-depth look at the mechanics of his swing. "Co-ordination, that is perfect timing and harmony of action, is a great essential," Ruth said. "You have got to develop rhythm and full utility of every muscle." In addition to relying on his strength and open stance, Ruth swung the heaviest bat in the league, weighing in at 54 oz.

Psychological tests run at the time also determined that the speed of processing and signaling between his eyes, brain, nerves and arm was 10 percent faster that the average person, accounting for his impeccable timing at the plate.

It's no surprise, then, that Ruth expected to hit 100 homers during the season of his PM interview. "The only thing that will prevent me from slamming out a century-fold of homeruns will be un-obliging pitchers," Ruth told PM. "I mean, the boys on the mound are beginning to know what I pick at for good drives." He also noted the feeling that hurlers were starting to pitch around him, purposefully throwing balls out of the strike zone, at a time when the intentional walk was unheard of.

And while the science of the swing has evolved since the 20s—from Barry Bonds modernizing Ruth's approach, to the influence of steroids, to the physics of faster pitches with today's home runs—it's worth celebrating a man who defied science. Enlarge our classic story by clicking above, or head to bookstores for more from Ruth and top major leaguers in the new PM book, "Why a Curveball Curves," on sale now. —Daniel Tam-Claiborne