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, attempted to refuse to let
Gaedel bat, but Gaedel produced a contract that
he had just signed. This is one of the only known
Eddie Gaedel signatures. 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.
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