When Willard Met Babe Ruth Author:Donald Hall, Barry Moser (Illustrator) It is 1917 in rural New Hampshire when twelve-year-old Willard Babson and his father see a roadster slide into a ditch in front of them. "You know anybody can pull me out of here?" asks the tall young driver--and Willard realizes he's staring at Babe Ruth, the best left-hander in baseball.