The waning days of an American summer always have been a special time—a mixture of carefree pleasure and a growing poignancy that soon it all will be over—a time for the great outdoors, for barbecues, bathing suits, and of course, baseball. But during World War II, when the national pastime became superseded by the national purpose, bats and gloves were laid aside as the greats of the game answered the call. The 36 Hall of Famers who served in the Big One were just the tip of the iceberg, as more than 500 major leaguers and more than 4,000 minor leaguers made the switch from team uniform to military uniform.
In addition to their regular duties, the boys of summer would find themselves occasionally called on to get back out on the diamond. With all that sportive talent flooding the ranks, and with good old interservice rivalry being what it is, a whole lot of top-quality wartime baseball action took place. Hawaii became a major hot spot, and because so many heavy-hitters were involved, attendance at the games held there during World War II topped a million. Of all the classic Hawaiian match-ups that took place, the standout event had to be the “Servicemen’s World Series” in September-October 1944. This was the epic showdown for the service championship of the Pacific theater.
Things looked good for Army going in, what with names like Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg on the roster. But then Neptune or divine Providence or some such august entity intervened: Joltin’ Joe and Hammerin’ Hank got knocked to the sidelines, and a host of sailors/ringers from throughout the Pacific were upping Navy’s odds—Dom DiMaggio from the Red Sox, Phil Rizzuto from the Yankees, Johnny Mize from the Cardinals, Virgil Trucks from the Tigers, Pee Wee Reese from the Dodgers. Talk about a fantasy baseball team!
This rare treasure from the Naval Institute Photo Archive is both a naval history buff’s and a baseball memorabilia collector’s dream come true. The great players’ autographs are here in grand array, along with an inset of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz throwing out the first pitch. So anyway, who won this epochal series that’s been called “the most important military baseball event of the war”?
With three hits by Rizzuto and some smoking pitching from Trucks, Navy beat Army 5–0 in the first game and went on to take the series—with four straight wins. Don’t you love a happy ending?