Babe Ruth did indeed "call his shot" on October 1, 1932. It was the third game of the World Series. The Yankees had won the first two games, and this game was in Chicago. The Cubs' fans were upset over trailing in the series and had been riding Ruth mercilessly the entire game. It was the top half of the fifth inning when Babe Ruth stepped to the plate in all his spindle-legged glory. The score was tied at 4-4, there was one out, and the bases were empty. Charlie Root, pitching against the Babe threw the first pitch. It was perfect, sizzling right over the plate. The Babe beat the umpire to the call, and held up one finger. The crowd howled. The next pitch was perfect, and again Babe called the strike before the umpire. Strike two! The crowd roared in delight. Ruth stepped out of the box, waiting for the noise to subdue, but it only got worse. The crowd's noise rose to new heights, the anticipation of getting to see the famous Sultan of Swat strike out egging on the audience. Root threw two balls, attempting to get Babe to swing on a bad pitch.
It was then that Babe Ruth made one of the most recognized and celebrated gestures of defiance in sport history. He lifted his hand and pointed toward the flagpole in deep center field. On Roots next pitch, Babe swung. The ball soared into the center field bleachers. It missed the flagpole by a few feet. The crowd sat silent as a grinning Babe rounded the bases.