The shortest of careers
Eddie Gaedel 74 years ago today with umpire Ed Hurley and Detroit catcher Bob Swift
He gets a custom-made uniform, a custom-made cap and a custom-made bat.
And he gets a custom-made order from his team: do not swing at a pitch.
Not a single one.
Just take a walk.
With that, Eddie Gaedel – all 43 inches of him – becomes the shortest player in major league history 74 years ago today in St. Louis.
Eddie Gaedel acknowledges the crowd
Playing for the Browns – this is back when St. Louis has teams in both the American and National leagues – the 26-year-old Gaedel enters as a pinch-hitter to start the bottom of the first inning of the Browns’ 1951 home game against the Detroit Tigers at Sportsman’s Park.
Frank Saucier starts the game in right field for the Browns.
He is listed as the leadoff hitter, but that never happens for him as Browns manager Zack Taylor quickly summons the 3-foot-7 Gaedel – in his jersey No. 1/8 – to hit for Saucier in the bottom of the first inning.
With Bob Cain pitching for Detroit and a Sunday crowd of 18,369 looking on, Tigers catcher Bob Swift gets down on his knees to try and frame pitches for plate umpire Ed Hurley to see.
Doesn’t matter as Gaedel walks on four pitches and runs to first base, where pinch-runner Jim Delsing promptly replaces him.
The walk is one of five Cain gives up in the game, but that hardly matters at the end as the Tigers beat the hapless Browns 6-2 and drop St. Louis’ record to 36-79.
The idea to sign and play Gaedel belongs to Bill Veeck, the Browns’ owner who carves out a Hall of Fame career as one of baseball’s all-time master showmen.
Commissioner Ford Frick, though, is not amused, and tells Veeck to never, ever pull a stunt like this again.
And, just to reinforce his displeasure with Veeck, Frick immediately voids Gaedel’s contract, ending Gaedel’s career with a perfect on-base percentage of 1,000.
“My epitaph is inescapable,” Veeck later says. “It will read, ‘He sent a midget up to bat.’ ”
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