joshwriting | Goodbye, Jim Delsing

On August 19th, 1951, Jim Delsing pinch-ran his way into history. It was not a momentous achievement on his part and nobody really discusses what came of his pinch-running. It is the fact of it, not the result of it, that catches people's eye.

In the second game of a double header, Bill Veeck (rhymes with wreck), the owner of the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles) sent Eddie Gaedel to the plate as a pinch hitter. Gaedel worked a 4 pitch walk and went to first base. He was replaced by Jim Delsing. And that was it. Gaedel never appeared in another major league game.

Gaedel was 3'7" and 65-lb. He was a stage performer, but in his batting stance his strike zone was only 1.5 inches high. They had signed him to a major league contract, prepared for the opposing team's protest. There is a famous picture, http://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/eddiegaedel.jpg that would not have been taken, but for Veeck's having warned the news crew of the stunt. Two days later, Major League Baseball banned Gaedel from the game. He got $100 for his part.

The newspaper reporter who was told and wrote about it died last fall. Most of the players from that game are also decease. Bob "Sugar" Cain, the Tiger pitcher who walked him is still living. Gaedel himself died almost 10 years after the game, at the age of 36.

Baseball is filled with short stories and tall tales, but few that were shorter than this one. And I suppose if one is going to be known for something, this is better than many.