Baseball History 4

Ballplayers go to war

Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country. Hall of Famer Morgan Bulkeley served in the Civil War. Twenty-five Hall of Fame members served in World War I. Thirty-five Hall of Fame members and more than 500 major league players served in World War II. 95 percent of the players who were major leaguers in 1941 eventually served in World War II in some capacity. Five Hall of Famers served America during the Korean War. A few examples:

Ted Williams flew for the US Marines during World War II and the Korean War, losing nearly six years of his career to military service. He was almost killed when he crash-landed his plane in Korea in 1953.

Warren Spahn missed the entire 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons to war service and appeared in only four games in 1942. He won his 100th career game after his 30th birthday, but still won an amazing 363 games in his career. No left-hander has ever won as many.

Detroit slugger Hank Greenberg was in the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and was discharged on December 5, 1941. After Pearl Harbor he voluntarily enlisted again as an officer candidate in the Air Corps.

Pitcher Christy Mathewson was gassed while in the US Army in World War I and died several years later still suffering from the effects.

Cleveland Indians hurler Bob Feller (from Iowa!) enlisted in 1942 and earned eight battle stars in combat during World War II. He missed four seasons while in the service.

Here's a memorial and list of those ballplayers who gave their lives in service to their country.

Posted by Ted at October 21, 2003 05:32 AM | TrackBack