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  "description": "The Yankee great made a stop in Midwestern towns in 1922 as part of a barnstorming tour, but how many stops were in South Dakota?",
  "path": "/fact-brief-babe-ruth-south-dakota-barnstorming-tour-1922/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-30T09:00:02.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.sdnewswatch.org",
  "tags": [
    "this one.",
    "Oct. 19, 1922 - The day Babe Ruth played in Deadwood, South Dakota",
    "Deadwood's pitcher strikes out Ruth in exhibition game (1922 article)",
    "Babe Ruth pounds out homer with bases choked in exhibition",
    "Mayor declares Ruth holiday (1922 article)",
    "The Canaries' oldest living player met Babe Ruth and got a hit off Don Larsen",
    "photo of Babe Ruth at airport (1948 newspaper)",
    "Babe Ruth dies",
    "South Dakota News Watch",
    "Gigafact",
    "on the tipline",
    "sdnewswatch.org"
  ],
  "textContent": "## Yes.\n\nSouth Dakota baseball fans got a firsthand look at Babe Ruth during his 1922 barnstorming tour of the Midwest.\n\nAnd fans in Sioux Falls had arguably the best show of all on Oct. 17, 1922. In a seven-paragraph story, the Argus Leader reported Ruth hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run), including a grand slam. About 1,500 fans attended the game and rosters were filled by local players.\n\nThe Sioux Falls mayor declared a holiday and asked businesses to close early.\n\nOn Oct. 19, the tour visited Deadwood, where fans spent about $1.10 per ticket ($21 today) to see the New York Yankee pitch and go 2-for-4. The Rapid City Journal made note of a Deadwood pitcher who struck him out.\n\nRuth returned to South Dakota in 1948, flying out of Sioux Falls after stops in Iowa to promote youth baseball, two months before his death.\n\n_This fact brief responds to conversations such as_  this one.\n\n## Sources\n\n _605Sports.com_ , Oct. 19, 1922 - The day Babe Ruth played in Deadwood, South Dakota\n\nRapid City Journal, Deadwood's pitcher strikes out Ruth in exhibition game (1922 article)\n\nThe Daily Argus Leader, Babe Ruth pounds out homer with bases choked in exhibition (1922 article)\n\nThe Daily Argus Leader, Mayor declares Ruth holiday (1922 article)\n\nSioux Falls Argus Leader, The Canaries' oldest living player met Babe Ruth and got a hit off Don Larsen\n\nSioux Falls Argus Leader, photo of Babe Ruth at airport (1948 newspaper)\n\nHistory.com, Babe Ruth dies\n\n* * *\n\nSouth Dakota News Watch partners with Gigafact to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. Send questions or feedback to _news@sdnewswatch.org_. Submit a question for us to answer on the tipline.\n\n _**South Dakota News Watch** is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at _sdnewswatch.org_.**Contact freelance reporter Michael Klinski:** michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org._",
  "title": "Fact brief: Did Babe Ruth play a game in South Dakota?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-30T13:00:01.249Z"
}