Johnny Sylvester

John Dale "Johnny" Sylvester (April 5, 1915 – January 8, 1990) was an American packing machinery company executive who was best known for a promise made to him by Babe Ruth during the 1926 World Series. Sylvester was seriously ill and hospitalized. Ruth said he would hit a home run on his behalf, which was followed by what was widely reported at the time as Sylvester's miraculous recovery.

Sylvester was born on April 5, 1915, in Caldwell, New Jersey. His father, Horace Clapp Sylvester, Jr., was a banker who by 1926 was a vice president at National City Bank and served as head of its municipal department. Sylvester grew up in Caldwell and moved with his family to a large house in Essex Fells, New Jersey in 1921. At Essex Fells Grammar School, his baseball skills led to his nickname as the "Babe Ruth Kid" and he was a diehard fan of the New York Yankees and its star player, Babe Ruth.

While at a rented house on the Jersey Shore in Bay Head, New Jersey during the summer of 1926, Sylvester was horseback riding when he was thrown to the ground along with his horse, after the horse had stepped into a hole. The horse tried to stand up and kicked Sylvester in the head. The injury progressed over the summer and by September he had been diagnosed with osteomyelitis in his skull, a condition that is caused by an infection that leads to bone deterioration. Doctors thought that his condition could lead to his death. The condition was only one of several that Sylvester was said to be ailing from at the time, which was also variously ascribed to a back problem, blood poisoning, a sinus condition, and either a spinal infection or spinal fusion. The confusion as to the condition affecting Sylvester has led to claims that the entire incident was a hoax.

Urgent telegrams were sent to Ruth, who was then with the Yankees playing the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1926 World Series. It has been unclear if Sylvester initiated the request himself, or if it had been the idea of his father or uncle as an effort to lift his spirits. Ruth sent back from St. Louis a package that included two balls, one autographed by members of the Yankees and the other by players from the Cardinals. Inscribed on the ball was a note from Ruth that read, "I'll knock a homer for you on Wednesday", in Game 4 of the series.

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