Question: was a ground rule double ever a home run

Answer: Yes, In the early years of baseball, all batted balls that cleared the fence after a bounce in fair territory or on a fly were counted as home runs. The rule was changed by the American League prior to the 1930 season and subsequently by the National League on December 12, 1930. Notably, the pre-1930 rule includes most of Babe Ruth's career. Early baseball statistics do not differentiate between home runs that cleared the fence on a bounce compared to those that did not. However, most baseball historians believe that Ruth likely missed out on more home runs that did not count due to other differences in the rules in place during his career compared to the number of home runs he likely hit off bounces.