WORLD'S SMALLEST
BASEBALL PLAYER
THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST
STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST
Who was the world's smallest baseball player?
On August 19, 1951, at Sportsman's
Park in St. Louis the St. Louis Browns were playing a doubleheader against the
Detroit Tigers.
In between games a 3 foot 7 inch,
65 pound midget named Eddie Gaedel jumped out of a 7 foot cake wearing a St.
Louis Browns uniform with the number 1/8 as part of a promotional stunt to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American League and the Falstaff Brewing
Company, the radio sponsor of the Browns.
The story does not end here, in the bottom of the first
inning Eddie Gaedel was sent in to pinch hit for Frank Saucier and
after much debate the Browns manager produced a contract that was signed and
filed two days earlier, but since it was a weekend the contract was not yet reviewed
and voided by the league
before the game, Eddie Gaedel was allowed to play.
The mighty Eddie Gaedel, the world's smallest baseball
player, stepped up to bat, with a toy bat, and crouched, leaving a monsterous 1
1/2 inch strike zone.
Bob Cain was on the mound for the Detroit Tigers and after a laughing fit, got
down to business and pitched to Eddie Gaedel.
-
Pitch 1: Ball - high
-
Pitch 2: Ball - high
-
Pitch 3: Ball - high
-
Pitch 4: Ball - high
The world's smallest baseball
player walked on four straight pitches in his first and only at bat in his first
and only baseball game.
After reaching base Jim Delsing was sent in as a pinch runner, but the Browns
lost the game anyways.
After the stunt Major League Baseball made it mandatory that a contract must be
approved by the league before the player can play.

Eddie Gaedel

Page Sponsored By:
CD Burner Software