Charles M Province

The 17-Inch Baseball Bat Charles M Province

On the 19th of August, 1951, Bill Veeck, the owner of the St. Louis Browns Baseball Team sent a 3-foot, 7-inch midget to Home Plate to bat against the Detroit Tigers. It was Veeck's greatest, most memorable stunt, and it set a historical milestone that will never be equaled. This is the story of Bill Veeck, Eddie Gaedel, and the one and only time a midget stood at home plate in a Major League baseball game with a 17-Inch Toy Baseball Bat. The following day, the President of the American League canceled Eddie's contract, ordered that his name be stricken from the record books, and proclaimed that midgets would never be allowed in American League baseball. This is the complete story of that fascinating day in Sportsman's Park in St. Louis when Veeck, Gaedel, and the St. Louis Browns made baseball history.