WARTIME BASEBALL

AIRED: Season 4, Episode 2
THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray and Tukufu Zuberi
THE PLACE: Seattle, WA

THE CASE:

A Seattle man has a baseball given to him by his father that is autographed by baseball icon Dizzy Dean.

The ball is dated July 12, 1944, and his father claims he played catcher in a wartime ballgame that brought together two legendary pitchers: Dizzy Dean and Negro League star Satchel Paige.

It seems far-fetched that an Air Force staff sergeant could have shared the field with these two sports heroes, especially in an era when both the military and baseball were segregated.

History Detectives travels to Washington State, Indiana and Illinois to investigate whether the autographed ball could be evidence of the influence of America’s national pastime on post-war racial integration.

More Leads
Indiana Military
Details original military history of South-Central Indiana from World War II to present including information about Freeman's Field.