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Eddie Gaedel's Big At-Bat

On August 19, 1951, the Barnum-esque, maverick owner of the St. Louis Browns Bill Veeck engineered baseball's greatest stunt when he sent a three-foot seven-inch man named Eddie Gaedel to the plate. The umpire Ed Hurley refused to let Gaedel bat, but Gaedel produced a contract he had just signed.

This is one of the only known signatures of Eddie Gaedel. He was gunned down on a Chicago street corner in 1961. The only major leaguer to go to his funeral was Bob Cain, the pitcher who walked him in his one at-bat. A rare ticket and box score from that game are also shown.