Bettie Hoyt is the widow and third wife of Waite Hoyt, a Hall of Fame pitcher who played the majority of his career with the New York Yankees. Although Waite started his Major League career with the New York Giants, his first full season as a pitcher was in 1919, when he joined the pitching rotation for the Boston Red Sox, alongside Babe Ruth. In 1921, he joined Ruth and the Yankees for one of their most successful decades. By the time Waite retired in 1938, he had played on 7 pennant-winning teams (6 with the Yankees and 1 with the Philadelphia Athletics) and had the record for the most wins in World Series history (6). In Hoyt’s retirement, he initially became a broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After 2 years he moved on to announcing for the Cincinnati Reds where he remained for 24 years. As a broadcaster, Waite was well-recognized for his stories during rain delays. Many stories were captured on record with the albums, “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain” and “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain, Volume 2.” A lot of his anecdotes focused on the Babe, who was always one of Waite’s favorite mediums for analysis and discussion. Bettie (formally Bettie Deary) had her own role in Baseball, as an assistant to Warren Giles, who was president of the Cincinnati Reds and ultimately president of the National League. Listen to Betty convey some of Waite’s stories and thoughts on the Babe here.
Betty discusses Waite’s and Babe’s history and connection together.
Betty recalls a story from Waite regarding the time that he brought his second wife, Eleanor, to meet Babe Ruth.
Betty talks about the short story that Waite Hoyt wrote: “Babe as I knew him.”
Betty recalls Waite’s thoughts of Claire Ruth and her role in Babe’s life.
Betty recalls Waite’s opinion on “The Called Shot”.
Betty conveys Waite’s feelings regarding the perception that Babe was an alcoholic and over-eater.
Betty recalls Waite’s story of his last time with the Babe.