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PopTop
09-19-2004, 03:22 PM
This has probably been asked here before but I'm too lazy to look through the threads and check it out.

Everyone knows about Eddie Gaedel, the midget sent to bat for the St. Louis Browns on Aug 19, 1951, by showman Bill Veeck. He walked on 4 straight pitches from Tigers hurler Bob Cain.

The question is who did Gaedel pinch-hit for?

(If you got a copy of today's San Antonio Express-News or just do a search through Baseball Library.com (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/) , this should be easy for you).
metsfan001
09-19-2004, 03:25 PM
Frank Saucier.
PopTop
09-19-2004, 03:32 PM
Very good. Now tell me what his degree from Westminister College was in and what branch of the service he was in for 15 years?

Bonus points if you can tell me his batting average in the minors back in 1949 (he led ALL minor leaguers in hitting that season).

;)
PopTop
09-19-2004, 03:33 PM
More bonus points if you can tell me why he was chosen to be the player Gaedel pinch hit for in the game.


:cool:
metsfan001
09-19-2004, 03:55 PM
Maybe I'll subscribe later. :D
Toy Cannon
09-19-2004, 07:17 PM
Very good. Now tell me what his degree from Westminister College was in and what branch of the service he was in for 15 years?

Bonus points if you can tell me his batting average in the minors back in 1949 (he led ALL minor leaguers in hitting that season).

;)
He was in the Navy and he hit .449 in the Texas League in '49. I have no idea why he was chosen or what his major was.
imgreat95
09-19-2004, 07:45 PM
You mean Westminster College in Pennsylvania?
Toy Cannon
09-19-2004, 08:04 PM
You mean Westminster College in Pennsylvania?
That's the one he means. Their baseball field in named after Saucier, I believe.
imgreat95
09-19-2004, 08:12 PM
Westminster College is only 20 minutes from here. They had a period of time where their football team was unbeatable when I was in HS... My HS football coaches were also all 4 All -Americans there.
PopTop
09-20-2004, 09:31 PM
Didn't think this would generate as much interest or knowledge, my hats off to all three trivia geniuses who chimed in with correct answers on this.

Frank Saucier was the subject of the weekly "where are they now?" columns in the San Antone daily fishwrap. His connection to this area of the country is that he also played for the old San Antonio Missions before they were the Bullets and then went back to the Missions. Got that! :freak:

He earned a degree in Mathematics from Wesminister College, but I'm of the belief it is the Westminister in the Show Me State and not the Keystone State. I could be wrong there. He served in the Navy, including Korea. And I have him for a .446 AVG in 1949, but it was with Wichita Falls which was a B-League and wouldn't have been Texas League. :notme: I'm getting my info straight out of the article in the Express-News, not sure where the facts might lay.
Toy Cannon
09-20-2004, 09:37 PM
I just assumed the college was a Penn. college. You know what you get when you assume. I thought Wichita was in the TX. League, but that was also a guess.

SO, why did Veeck chose him to be PH for by a half pint?
PopTop
09-20-2004, 09:50 PM
Oh, I forgot about the pinch-hit part. :duh: Saucier was injured, suffered from "bursitis" according to the quote I read. That could've meant a ton of different things in today's medical jargon. So he made the most sense to take out of the lineup in order to make the big introduction of Gaedel (remember, Gaedel came out of a frickin' cake for this stunt!).