By Robert A. Waters
In 1951, baseball was still king. Every day in the summertime, massive crowds showed up to see the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, and other great teams. But there were also ne'er-do-well organizations such as the St. Louis Browns, teams that had never gotten a whiff of a pennant or, God forbid, a World Series. Since he was unable to hire a team of winners, Bill Veeck, owner of the Browns, turned to promoting stunts to gain paying crowds.
His most successful stunt featured a 3-foot 7-inch midget named Eddie Gaedel. On the scorching hot day of August 19, 1951, the Browns were playing a double-header with the Detroit Tigers. As usual, the Browns lost the first game 7 to 2. In between the first and second game, Veeck's ground crew rolled a massive papier-mache cake onto the field. The 18,000 fans in attendance suddenly became excited--another wild feat was coming, they could feel it in their bones.
As the Tigers began getting ready for the second game, catcher Bob Swift took warm-up tosses from pitcher Bob Cain. Umpire Ed Hurley stood behind Swift ready to call the balls and strikes.
Then it happened. As the two bottom-dwelling teams got ready to play, a door in the papier-mache cake popped open and out stepped Eddie Gaedel. Half the size of most players, wearing an official Browns uniform with the fraction "1/8" written across the back, manager Zack Taylor walked to the umpire and stated that Eddie Gaedel would pinch hit for the scheduled number one hitter, Frank Saucier.
Gaedel, a showman, strutted toward home plate holding a child's bat.
The crowd, throbbing with excitement, erupted in laughter.
Umpire Hurley called Veeck and manager Taylor to him. This man is not a professional player, Hurley said. He will not be allowed to hit. Veeck quickly pulled out documents proving Gaedel was a member of the team. The doubtful umpire had no choice, the diminutive batter could play.
Gaedel stepped up to the plate. Veeck had warned him not to swing, to just crouch down and hold the bat on his shoulder. The crowd was standing now, ready to see the stunt play out. Pitcher Cain reared back and threw a fastball to the catcher. "Ball!" roared the ump. Too high. A second pitch was also a ball. Every time Hurley yelled "Ball," the crowds screamed.
After ball four, Gaedel began jogging toward first base. He stopped twice and curtseyed for the crowds. Pandemonium set in. Gaedel reached first base and stood there. Manager Taylor then put in a pinch runner for Gaedel. As the midget headed to the dugout, the crowds gave him a prolonged and raucous standing ovation.
Then it was over. As usual, the Browns lost the game. But nobody cared. Each fan would remember this game for the rest of their lives.
Eddie Gaedel was born in Chicago to a poor family. Whether it was due to people making fun of him because of his height, or a Napoleanic complex, he developed a surly personality. That, along with a yearning for juke joints and booze, made the little man a target for bullies. Even though he never won, our one-day hero always seemed to be itching for a fight.
Gaedel fought his last bout on June 18, 1961, ten years after he made baseball history. The Chicago Times reported that "an inquest has been ordered into the death of Edward Gaedel, the only midget ever to play baseball in the major leagues. He was 36 years old. The inquest was ordered after police noted bruises around the knees and on the left side of Mr. Gaedel's face after his body was discovered in the bedroom of his South side apartment Sunday." In addition to the wounds suffered by Gaedel, an autopsy showed that he died of a heart attack.
Rumor suggested that Gaedel was last seen at a bowling alley being followed by four ruffians. Reporters speculated that these men robbed him.
This story disappeared from the newspapers faster than Eddie Gaedel disappeared from major league baseball. While searching many newspapers, I could never find additional information about the murder investigation into his death. Did the cops drop the case after learning of Gaedel's heart attack? That might make it difficult to convict an assailant, so investigators may have decided to deep-six the case.
The only major league player to attend Eddie Gaedel's funeral was Bob Cain, the pitcher who walked him. "I felt obligated," Cain told reporters.