Category: Sports News

As Major League Baseball marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday, the game between the Mets and Yankees had a different feel.

Taking place miles away from where the events of that day occurred, both New York teams honored those affected by the tragedy in a way only they could. Wearing hats honoring the first responders, with the field at Yankee Stadium adorned with stars and stripes, players and coaches on both sides understood what Friday's game meant.

"Major League Baseball got this one right, putting these two teams together on this day," Mets interim manager Andy Green said ahead of the Subway Series opener. 

“Certainly understand the weight of today and being the 25th anniversary. But having the two New York teams playing, having lived through being a baseball player at the time, knowing the role baseball played…feels like an honor," Yankees manager Aaron Boone expounded before first pitch. "We don’t take lightly walking out on that field tonight."

The pregame ceremony saw Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neil and Mariano Rivera -- members of the 2001 Yankees -- take the field for a moment of silence and the ceremonial first pitch. There was tenor James Valenti, who sang the National Anthem and a rendition of "God Bless the USA" sung by Lee Greenwood.

“We’re both New York teams playing against each other, but the crowd felt united," Aaron Judge said after the game. "You forget about baseball, it’s more than baseball. It’s about being united as a country, as a city. I thought it was pretty special for 'God Bless America;' you saw all of us on the line. The Mets hopped the fence. We didn’t tell the guys over there, so it was special to see us both out there just united."

“The ceremony at the beginning was well done," Green said. "We honored everybody as well as possible today." 

Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera & Derek Jeter are announced to the Yankee Stadium crowd for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 pic.twitter.com/UQA9W4qMfB

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

Lee Greenwood performed "God Bless the USA" at Yankee Stadium before tonight's game pic.twitter.com/9bFXRGILaE

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 11, 2026

Earlier this week, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was asked about the atmosphere he anticipates and described what he believes will be a day full of emotion.

"Ever since 9/11, New York got even stronger," Lindor said at the time. "Everyone comes together. Before the game, it doesn't matter if it's Yankees or Mets, and it feels really good. Once the game starts, it becomes Yankees vs. Mets. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a special day for a lot of people. Hopefully we put a smile on people’s faces, put on a great show and remember the ones that fought for everybody and the ones that lost their lives that day."

That emotion was felt by the players during the pregame ceremony and during the game, with the crowd playing a huge part in it.

“It’s a special day. Today felt like bigger than the game and bigger than yourself," Cody Bellinger said. "It was a fun atmosphere...just nice to go and play the game and give them something to cheer about."

"It’s an emotional day," Ben Rice said of the game. "Happy we were able to provide some positivity on such a tough day."

“It felt special. The energy in the crowd was special. It felt like what you want a ballgame to feel like," Boone said of the crowd. "A lot of people were here having a great time on what, for many, is a difficult day." 

 

 

 

After a day off at home in Sacramento the A’s should be rested up and ready for another series win. Spoiler hats on people. Our division rivals, the Seattle Mariners, are fighting to remain relevant in the playoff race but are seeing their hopes fade fast. They sit in third place in the AL West six games back of the first-place Astros. And in the Wild Card race it’s not much better as they’re 5 1/2 games back of the third and final playoff spot with five teams ahead of them. A sweep at the hands of the A’s would all but end their season. That sounds like some good motivation for the cobbled together home team.

The A’s will have veteran Jeffrey Springs getting the start in this one. His overall year with the Athletics has left a lot to be desired and both he and the team will go their separate directions this offseason. Still, it’d be nice to see his tenure end on a high note. He’s coming off one of his best starts of the season his last time out when he tossed seven shutout frames in Seattle against these very same Mariners. The left-hander only allowed two hits and twqo walks and will be hoping for more of the same tonight against a division rival. He’s in Sutter Health Park though, and the flyball pitcher has made it known his disdain for the Athletics’ temporary home. If he can keep the ball in the park he’ll be fine.

Here’s the Athletics’ starting lineup for the series opener tonight:

Today's lineup vs. Seattle – Sept. 11, 2026 at Sutter Health Park pic.twitter.com/lyN7C1d8uT

— A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) September 11, 2026

The typical top half of the lineup with Bolte leading things off followed by McNeil, Gelof and Butler. The hot-hitting Max Muncy rises to fifth in the order and he’ll DH in this one. Veteran journeyman Donovan Walton backs sixth and is manning shortstop while rookie Tommy White is in the lineup playing first base. Carlos Cortes will handle left field while Jonah Heim is batting ninth and catching Springs in this one.

Seattle will be countering Springs with right-hander George Kirby. Kirby has been steady if unspectacular for the Mariners all season long, making 27 starts and not missing a turn through the rotation. Sure, his 4.18 ERA isn’t all that impressive but he’s been a valuable member of their starting rotation. He’ll be looking for some revenge tonight against the A’s after taking the loss last time out. That’ll be a tough task for Kirby as he’s struggled mightily on the road this season.

And the Mariners’ batting order this evening looks like this:

Back in West Sacramento for three against the A’s. #TridentsUppic.twitter.com/FcBpryS2RQ

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 11, 2026

Do I hear two in a row? Sounds like a great way to start our weekend A’s fans. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

Texas Rangers @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Friday, September 11, 2026, 8:40 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Chase Field

LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Merrill Kelly

Go Rangers!

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a weekend homestand against the Chicago White Sox Friday night as Matthew Liberatore will get the start for St. Louis while the White Sox will send Anthony Kay to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.

1. José Fermín (R) 3B
2. Iván Herrera (R) DH
3. Jordan Walker (R) RF
4. Alec Burleson (L) 1B
5. Joshua Báez (R) LF
6. Leo Bernal (S) C
7. Thomas Saggese (R) 2B
8. Masyn Winn (R) SS
9. Nathan Church (L) CF

With football season now underway, you’re getting a football-themed game thread. If you don’t like football, suck it up, you can deal with it for one day. Let’s be honest, even a football themed game thread is more entertaining than whatever the heck the White Sox are doing.

For the last 2 ½ weeks the White Sox have been taking the metaphorical knee at the end of the game. Unfortunately for them, there’s about five minutes left in the fourth quarter and they’re only up a point. Luckily, the rest of the AL Central is deciding to punt the ball back to them on first down, for some unknown reason. I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that the Guardians share the same city as the Cleveland Browns, but I can’t say for sure.

No matter how you spin it, the White Sox are bad again. They don’t have an offense, they don’t have a defense, and I have no hope anymore. I started planning the possible attendance of a home playoff game in my head and now they might very well not make the playoffs, so this may in fact be all my fault.

Nevertheless, the White Sox have an important game Friday night against … the St. Louis Cardinals? Great job, MLB, for inserting interleague games during the most crucial part in the season.

Either way, the schedule is already set and the South Siders are in St. Louis to try to collect a win for the first time since Sunday thanks to a sweep at the hands of the … Pittsburgh Pirates? Seriously, what decade is it?

Either way, let’s get into the game tonight. On the hill for the Cardinals is Matthew Liberatore. I like Liberatore, and I think he’s better than his record. As a former resident of Milwaukee and an attendee of many Brewers games, I can tell you that he’s caused the Brew Crew some issues in the past. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who you’re cheering for, Liberatore is incredibly inconsistent.

He posted a 3-2 record with an ERA less than four in the month of May, with four of those six starts coming against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. He immediately followed it up with an ERA of more than eight in the month of June. He’s been up and down ever since and most recently gave up five runs in just over four innings to the Colorado Rockies. The game did come on the road, but come on, the Rockies?

As for the White Sox, they’re throwing out Anthony Kay again. I would say “every kiss begins with K(ay),” but last time out he looked more like the kiss of death. He allowed five runs in just over four innings against the Minnesota Twins. Oddly enough, the stat line was pretty close to the stinker that Liberatore put up, so this may actually be a pretty fair fight.

Outside of a bad first month of the season, Kay has been solid for the White Sox, and they could really use him tonight. For as bad as this divisional “race” has gone as of late, there are just 16 games left. Any win at this point does wonders for Chicago, even if the Cleveland Guardians pull a rabbit out of a hat at the end of the game again. Here’s to hoping Cleveland’s baseball team starts to take after their football team and lays an egg during the month of September. Then again, the White Sox are from Chicago so … you can connect the dots.

Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:

Here is the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals:

First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!

The Dodgers and Miami Marlins continue their weekend series with an afternoon game on Saturday at loanDepot Park, a 4:10 p.m. start time locally and 1:10 p.m. back in Los Angeles.

Tyler Glasnow takes the ball for Los Angeles, making his fourth start since returning from the injured list.

Right-hander Tyler Phillips starts for the Marlins. He started the season in the bullpen but since joining the rotation has a 4.23 ERA and 4.91 xERA in 17 starts. He’s lasted exactly five innings even times, and pitched deeper into the game three times — six innings on June 22, 7 1/3 frames on June 28, and 5 1/3 innings on August 13.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Marlins
• Ballpark: loanDepot Park, Miami
• Start time: 1:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Cincinnati Reds are in Milwaukee on Friday where they’ll begin a three-game weekend series at American Family Field against the Brewers.

Andrew Abbott (6-10, 4.43 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 152.1 IP) gets the starting nod for the Reds in the opener opposite Brewers starter Dustin May (6-9, 4.69 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 132.1 IP).

First pitch is set for 7:45 PM ET.

Lineups for both clubs listed below!

Takeaways as Phillies' bullpen, baserunning fail them again originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — The Phillies have found different ways to lose lately. Too many outs on the bases. Too many late leads slipping away. Too many chances to finish games that they haven’t finished.

Friday had all of it.

The Phillies led three different times from the ninth inning on, got go-ahead hits from Justin Crawford and Luis Arraez in extras and still walked off the field with a 6-5 loss to the Braves in 11 innings. The bullpen let them down again. So did the fundamentals.

And after another night where they had chances to put a game away and couldn’t, the Phillies are now five games back in the division.

What did we see from our end?

THE FUNDAMENTALS, AGAIN

The Phillies have spent the last week giving away outs and bases at exactly the wrong time. Friday brought another one.

Bryce Harper doubled to open the ninth with the Phillies still holding a one-run lead. Alec Bohm followed with a ground ball to the left side. Harper broke toward third, then stopped. He wound up caught in no man’s land between second and third and was tagged out.

Instead of having a runner in scoring position with one out and a chance to add insurance, the Phillies handed Atlanta an out.

It’s become too familiar lately. The Phillies have had baserunning mistakes pile up over the last week, part of a stretch in which their fundamentals have slipped as the games have only become more important.

Against a team chasing you in the standings, with a bullpen that has been shaky lately, those extra 90 feet and extra outs matter. They mattered Friday.

THREE CHANCES, NONE FINISHED

Jonathan Bowlan entered the ninth trying to protect the lead. He couldn’t.

Bowlan allowed the tying run, marking the fifth time in his last six outings that he has surrendered a run.

Then came extras.

Justin Crawford came off the bench in the 10th and attacked the first pitch he saw, ripping a go-ahead single to put the Phillies back in front, 4-3. Crawford entered the night batting .348 with runners in scoring position this season.

Another big spot. Another big swing from the rookie. And another lead the bullpen couldn’t hold.

Chase Shugart allowed the automatic runner to score in the bottom half, sending the game to the 11th.

The Phillies went back ahead again. Luis Arraez went the other way for an RBI single after Harper singled, Bryson Stott walked and Crawford grounded out.

A 5-4 lead. One more chance.

Shugart returned for the bottom of the 11th and recorded one out before Don Mattingly went to Brooks Raley. Raley got the second.

Then Ha-Seong Kim, batting .126, shot a two-out single through the left side to tie it. Drake Baldwin followed with a walk-off double.

Three different Phillies leads disappeared from the ninth inning on.

That’s the part that will stick. The bullpen has struggled lately to keep games where they belong. Friday was another one.

VINTAGE NOLA REMAINS

Aaron Nola did his part.

He gave the Phillies 6 1/3 innings of two-run baseball against a Braves lineup seeing him again just eight days after his best start of the season.

The familiarity didn’t hurt him.

Nola pitched to contact, leaned less on his four-seamer and turned more to his changeup, a pitch that has become increasingly effective for him.

Matt Olson’s first-inning homer hugged the foul pole. Austin Riley’s seventh-inning shot came on a sinker below the zone that he reached down and drove out.

Neither changed what Nola was able to do overall.

For the second straight start, he generated a chase rate of at least 45 percent. Both came against the Braves.

They’re the only two starts this season in which he’s reached that mark and the first time in his career he’s done it in consecutive outings.

BREAK THE DAM

The Phillies finally did some damage against Chris Sale.

Entering Friday, Sale had allowed three earned runs over 19 innings in three starts against Philadelphia this season. The Phillies matched that total in one inning.

With two outs in the second, Edmundo Sosa singled, Bryan De La Cruz worked a seven-pitch walk and J.T. Realmuto was hit by a pitch. Derek Hill followed by lining a three-run double into the left-center field gap.

It gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead and was the biggest swing they had produced against Sale all season.

It also continued a trend from their right-handed bench bats. Since Hill was acquired on June 11, Hill, Sosa and De La Cruz are batting .329/.368/.576 with runners in scoring position, with 11 extra-base hits and 50 RBI over 97 plate appearances.

The Phillies badly needed more production from that side after struggling so much against left-handed pitching early in the season. They got it Friday.

It just wasn’t enough.

The same issues that followed them through the homestand followed them to Atlanta. And after another game they had multiple chances to finish, the Phillies are now five games back in the division.

Logan Gilbert’s incredible play at the plate in yesterday’s Mariners win wasn’t just a clutch moment in the game; it also underscored a fun little storyline this season, where Gilbert has gone from the worst Mariners pitcher at controlling the running game to the…[checks notes, checks them again]…best? That’s right, after being one of the worst Mariners pitchers by Statcast’s Net Bases Prevented (which sums how many bases a pitcher prevents runners from advancing with outs created on the basepaths), this year Gilbert is the best of the starting staff.

It’s understandable if you would have guessed Gilbert to be the worst, not the best – he and Bryce Miller (who was the worst starter last year at controlling the running game) have not only the slowest pitching pace on the team, but in the big leagues in general. Gilbert’s pitch tempo of 18.6 seconds ranks in the bottom 6% of MLB, as does Miller’s, and pitchers who are slower to the plate tend to leave themselves more susceptible to the running game. But Gilbert has made a concerted effort to improve in that area, and it’s paying dividends, even as he himself admits he’ll never be master of the pickoff.

The starter who is actually the worst at controlling the running game might surprise you, though – or maybe not, if you’ve been watching the 2026 Seattle Mariners closely. George Kirby’s -5 Net Bases Prevented ranks not only worst on the staff, but bottom 5% in MLB.

Despite being one of the quicker Mariners starters to the plate, Kirby has historically been one of the worst on staff at controlling the running game. This wasn’t an issue for the 2023-24 iterations of Kirby, who steadfastly refused to issue free passes, or even 2025 Kirby, who walked more hitters but also posted a career-high strikeout percentage of 26% after coming back from an early-season shoulder injury. But the 2026 version of George Kirby is striking out the lowest percentage of hitters in his career, under 20%, while also walking the same number of hitters as his 2025 self – still well below MLB average, but not the utterly miserly raters of his 2023-4 selves. That’s led to an increase of bodies on the basepaths, and when runners reach base, they take advantage.

In Kirby’s last start against the A’s, with the A’s ahead 2-0, Zack Gelof led off the fourth inning with a single. Kirby was able to retire Lawrence Butler on a flyout, but during Butler’s at-bat, Gelof stole second, which set up a two-out RBI for the A’s when Max Muncy singled, costing the Mariners a run. The A’s were able to get another run in that inning thanks to a passed ball on catcher Cal Raleigh, and all of a sudden the A’s had doubled up their lead, putting the Mariners in a hole they wouldn’t be able to overcome.

For a team that’s scuffled to find offense, gifting opposing teams runs on preventable things like walks and stolen bases has been deleterious, to say the least. (The Mets’ double steal against Kirby in a 7-1 loss on June 3 felt like a particularly brutal humiliation ritual and, looking back, felt like one of the signs this team wasn’t headed to the post-season.) But the final score doesn’t always reflect how pivotal some of these steals can be. Looking at the Padres’ decisive 8-3 win over the Mariners back on May 17th, it’s hard to remember that was a close game up until a nightmarish sixth inning. But in the fifth inning, the Padres were able to double up their lead essentially for free when Xander Bogaerts led off with a walk, then swiped second and third consecutively and scored on a Ty France single.

As the broadcast team points out here, part of what makes Kirby so susceptible to the stolen base, despite his quicker pitch tempo, is his large leg kick. Because of his delivery, there’s probably a ceiling to how well Kirby will be able to control the running game, which is hopefully offset by his pace to the plate and ability to limit free passes – both of which are controllables that Kirby could do a better job of controlling. One other aspect that Kirby could control, though, is his mentality on the mound.

Kirby has spoken extensively this year about working on the mental side of his game to be more comfortable with contact and let go of outcomes once runners reach base. In the past, says Kirby, he’s lost focus being frustrated about executing a pitch and yet allowing a hit on what he considers a well-executed pitch. This year, he’s been working on redirecting his focus instead to the hitter in the box and continuing to execute and hopefully cap the damage at the plate.

“That’s a big thing for me,” Kirby said back in April after a particularly good start against the Astros. “Once that guy gets on base, you can’t do anything about it anymore. You just have to lock in a go back to thinking about the competition between you and the hitter. They got on, doesn’t matter, just go attack the next guy. I think that really helps flush all the negative energy after a couple hits.”

It’s a delicate balance – keeping the focus on the at-bat but not forgetting about the runner entirely. But it’s not entirely correct that a pitcher can’t do anything about a hitter who reached base, because they can matter. For the famously-intense “Furious George”, managing the mental side of the game has always been one of his challenges. But it’s a balance he’s going to have to navigate, because giving up free runs is something to really be furious about.

The Dodgers finally, officially placed Shohei Ohtani on the injured list Friday.

Which also meant they had to finally, officially make corresponding moves to their 40-man roster.

There was the expected one, with top prospect Josue De Paula being called up straight from Double-A to make his MLB debut on Friday in Miami.

Then there was the unexpected twist, with Eric Lauer being transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list — a procedural move that will effectively end his season.

Lauer had originally been placed on the shorter IL on Sept. 2 with an elbow inflammation issue that didn’t initially seem overly serious; with manager Dave Roberts even saying at the time, “I don’t think he was thrilled about going on the IL.”

However, the state of Lauer’s injury and the Dodgers’ sudden need to clear a 40-man roster spot for De Paula meant that the veteran left-hander was the odd man out in Friday’s roster shuffle.

And by going onto the 60-day IL, he now won’t be eligible to be activated until after the scheduled end of the World Series — dashing whatever slim hopes he still had of breaking into the Dodgers’ postseason roster.

Lauer was unlikely to do so even if he had stayed healthy. But he was at least in the conversation thanks to the 3.78 ERA he posted in his first 13 outings with the Dodgers, before a three-inning, seven-run clunker that precipitated his IL placement a couple weeks ago.

The good news for the Dodgers: They still have plenty of pitching depth without Lauer — or the now one-way Ohtani, for that matter.

Roki Sasaki could return from the injured list as soon as Sunday, having progressed enough from a finger blister to be an option to start the Dodgers’ series finale against the Marlins.

Edwin Díaz and Kris Bubic are also on the mend, though Díaz will throw at least one more minor-league rehab outing in Triple-A this weekend before being an option to return, per Roberts.

Ohtani’s status remains less clear. Roberts said the Dodgers had no specific diagnosis for his recently bothersome arm issue beyond the “biceps inflammation” designation he was given for Friday’s IL placement. He said the slugger’s left knee “is still sore,” too.

For now, Ohtani will remain shut down from hitting through at least the weekend, as the team tries to give his body rest before he begins ramping up for a targeted Sept. 23 return to the lineup (the soonest he will be eligible to come off the IL).

Ohtani’s next steps, Roberts added, will be based off the way he feels in the coming days.

“I think there’s a good amount of communication going on, which is also what led us to the IL, given how he’s felt,” Roberts said. “And then kind of going forward, take a few days from swinging the bat, and then let’s sort of reevaluate in the coming days and see what works.”

---

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Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Mark Vientos – DH
5. Carson Benge – RF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Christopher Morel – 1B
8. A.J. Ewing – CF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Nolan McLean – RHP

Yankees Lineup

1. Ben Rice – DH
2. Cody Bellinger – LF
3. Aaron Judge – RF
4. Luis Garcia – 1B
5. Spencer Jones – CF
6. George Lombard – SS
7. Ryan McMahon – 3B
8. Austin Wells – C
9. Anthony Volpe – 2B

Carlos Rodón – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:05 pm EDT
TV: WPIX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App 92.3 HD2

Time: 7:10 Central

Weather: High chance of sprinkles, 72°

Opponent’s SB site: Covering the Corner

TV: Twins TV. Radio: Alan Freed was born 105 years ago

25-year-old Guardians LHP Parker Messick made his MLB debut last August, and so far the results have been pretty spectacular. Even if they’re helped a little by a lucky batting average on balls in play (he’s at .264 for the season, the MLB average is .289). That’s not a crazy outlier though, I don’t think. Messick relies heavily on a 94-ish fastball and slightly slower sinker; that combo has been dynamite for him this season. He’ll frequently mix in a change, less frequently some breaking stuff.

75 years ago, Bill Veeck pulled one of his signature wacky baseball stunts. He signed 3’7” Eddie Gaedel to the Browns’ roster and had him pinch-hit in a game. Gaedel drew a walk — obviously his strike zone was small — and Veeck replaced him with a pinch-runner. The pinch-runner didn’t score

Now, Veeck owned the St. Louis Browns at that time, not the team in Cleveland. (So this is kinda the wrong week for this post. I thought this happened in Cleveland, until I started writing it.)

But Veeck had owned the Indians for four years, selling them in 1950 when he needed money for a divorce settlement. And had done some notable things with the team, like signing the first Negro League player to join the American League, Larry Doby. (When manager Lou Boudreau introduced Doby to the team, three players refused to shake his hand — and Veeck got rid of all three.) In 1949, Veeck signed Satchel Paige, the oldest rookie to ever play in MLB at the age of 41; he’d pitch 155.2 innings over two seasons for the team (and then became a two-time All-Star with the Browns).

Veeck claimed the idea of using a small person as a pinch-hitter was his own notion… however, there’d been a 1941 story in The Saturday Evening Post called “You Could Look it Up” by James Thurber, author of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” You can read the Thurber story here, if you like. It has paintings by Norman Rockwell which are very detailed and striking, as usual:

(By the way, if you think Rockwell’s paintings were all light-hearted Americana… that is not so.)

After buying the Browns, Veeck came up with the idea for a 50th-anniversary celebration of the American League. One concept for the promotion was kind of a “circus day,” which took place in between two games of a doubleheader on August 19th, 1951. There were acrobats, baseball clown Max Patkin, a band featuring Satchel Paige on drums, and finally, a birthday cake with Eddie Gaedel inside. (Veeck’s PR man had found Gaedel through his membership in the American Guild of Variety Artists, a performer’s union, and they’d smuggled Gaedel into the hotel room wrapped in blankets.) Apparently, sponsor Falstaff Beer was unimpressed by how blah “midget jumps out of birthday cake” was. They didn’t know what was coming next. (Neither did the Browns players.)

As leadoff hitter Frank Saucier approached the plate in the home half of the 1st inning, manager Zack Taylor signaled for a pinch-hitter, instead; it was Gaedel, in a uniform with the number “1/8.” Umpire Ed Hurley thought it was a joke, until Taylor showed him Gaedel’s contract. (For $15,400, which amounted to $100 per game, which was all Gaedel would get, and he knew it — but he liked the idea of the publicity.) Veeck had carefully instructed Gaedel before the game to NOT swing at anything (and he’d taken a $100,000 life insurance policy out on Gaedel in case anything bad happened.) Gaedel played the moment up; he even gave Saucier the customary butt slap as he headed to the dugout.

Of course, Gaedel took the four-pitch walk. When he got to first base, “he stopped two or three times and took his hat off, and bowed to the crowd,” Saucier remembered years later (per this story by The Guardian’s Frederic Frommer. “‘When he came back to the dugout, I said, “Eddie, you really kind of clowned that up a bit, going to first, didn’t you?” “And he said, “Man, I felt like Babe Ruth.’”

Eddie Gaedel was born June 8, 1925 in Chicago. Both his parents and his sibling were regular-sized. Per this SABR article by Brian McKenna and this one by Eric Robinson, while Gaedel did graduate from high school, he wasn’t comfortable traveling far from home, and instead worked various jobs in the region. Like riveting, since he was able to crawl into tight spaces. He’d also perform in traveling rodeos, circuses, do store openings, that sort of thing. In 1945 the music label Mercury Records opened in Chicago, and hired Gaedel for some publicity stuff as the “Mercury Man.” Here’s a picture of the old Mercury logo, along with the only known signed photo of Gaedel. It was sent by Gaedel to a fan for free, and later sold at auction for $6,960.

Gaedel did pretty well off the attention from the game, making $17,000 over the next few weeks for various appearances and promotions, including a minor-league at-bat in Syracuse, Illinois. Hollywood was interested and Mercury Records liked the idea of Gaedel touring California, but he didn’t want to go that far for that long. He would do other promotional appearances for Bill Veeck later, after Veeck bought the White Sox. One involved appearing via helicopter with several other little people dressed as Martians; they then used “ray guns” to capture the Sox’s shortest fielders, Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox.

Gaedel died on June 18, 1961, after going to a bowling alley. At home, his mother discovered him unconscious and covered in horrific bruises; he’d been badly beaten. He wouldn’t regain consciousness. One of the SABR writers suggests that Gaedel was a aggressive sort (he was known to drink quite a bit), but it’s impossible to know if he was just cranky overall or cranky towards bullies and insulters; one incident arose when some policemen called him “a little boy.” Chicago police never found whoever killed him.

At Gaedel’s funeral, Bob Cain showed up — the pitcher for the Tigers who’d walked Gaedel that day. Asked later why he’d flown in for the funeral (Cain never met Gaedel), he said, “because, I’ve been a goodwill man and speaker for all these years and the midget was my best story. I owed him that one.”

Sometimes the HOF has a Gaedel jersey on display, sometimes it’s a life-size cutout, like here. Guess who the other jersey belonged to? That’s right, Nick Punto. (It was not Nick Punto.)