Play Ball! America’s Pastime in the National Archives

Photograph of Army-Navy Baseball Game, 1925, [cropped]. National Archives Identifier 239939353

Summertime makes us think of baseball, and the National Archives holds records about baseball from some expected and unexpected sources.

America’s national pastime could not have been possible without the initiative and innovation of three people - Benjamin F. Shibe, John A. Hillerich, and George H. Rawlings.  Their designs can be found in Record Group 241: Records of the Patent and Trademark Office

George Rawlings was one of the first to patent a baseball glove.  The inventor was a sporting goods store owner who made a glove with felt and rubber padding on the fingers, thumb, and palm to prevent the players’ hands from bruising.  His patent from September 8, 1885, was the first padded baseball glove and has been used as inspiration for later iterations. 

325968 - Gloves - George H. Rawlings, 1885, page 15, National Archives Identifier  7560385 

John Hillerich, an immigrant from Germany, started a workshop in 1856 in Louisville, KY.  The creation of the famous “Louisville Slugger” started with the woodworker’s son who played amateur baseball.  The baseball bat, designed with a harder surface to promote the ability to drive the ball, quickly became the staple item for the company and was patented on December 23, 1902.

Patent Drawing for J. A. Hillerich's Bat, 1902, National Archives Identifier 7369163  

Benjamin Shibe, patented the cork-centered baseball on June 15, 1909.  His brother and nephew, who had worked for a company that made cricket balls, joined Shibe to found a company that made baseballs for children and professionals.  The company created many different brands of ball, but due to the sport’s popularity, they worked to create a baseball that has increased strength and durability. Shibe was also co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, and his cork-centered ball was used in all the Major League Baseball games in the 1911 season. 

924696 - Baseball - Benjamin Shibe, 1909, page 16, National Archives Identifier 2524963 

Did you know that branches of the military had their own baseball teams?

[Left] Photograph of First Army Baseball Team, ca. 1899, National Archives Identifier 239938511 [Right] US Military Academy cadets play baseball against the US Naval Academy midshipmen, 9/3/1986, National Archives Identifier 6411628

Baseball players were among the men drafted for both World War I and World War II.

On his draft card, Ty Cobb lists his occupation as a Ball Player employed by Detroit Baseball. Cobb served in France in 1918.

World War I Draft Registration Card for Tyrus R. Cobb, National Archives Identifier 641757

Casey Stengel enlisted in the Navy on June 15, 1918.  In November, he submitted a request for a discharge  because he had a position waiting for him at Sisco Shipbuilding Company and as a ball player, and he had to report to spring training.   Stengel  was discharged on December 2, 1918 by a special order by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Official Military Personnel File for Charles D. Stengel, National Archives Identifier 100353793

Matters Related to Red Sox Players, 1917-1918,  page 10, National Archives Identifier 5751792

Baseball teams worried about how they would survive a war.  In the winter of 1917-1918, Red Sox owner Harry M. Frazee had petitioned both Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, Captain William R. Rush, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, for the release of Yeoman John J. "Jack" Barry, the team's manager and second baseman, as well as Yeoman George E. "Duffy" Lewis, the team's left fielder, so that they might be available to play in the 1918 season. Barry and several other players were stationed at Boston Navy Yard, while Lewis was stationed at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California. In his letter to Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, Frazee stated that 12 of his players had enlisted in either the Army or Navy following the conclusion of the 1917 season, and expressed concerns about maintaining a competitive team and financially viable business investment in their absence. Despite most of the players declining to seek leave to play "league baseball," the Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, their third championship in four years.

At the start of World War II, this time as President, Franklin Roosevelt’s attention was again brought to baseball. In this 1942 letter, Baseball Commissioner Landis asked President Roosevelt whether Major League Baseball should be played in these “not ordinary times.”  In his reply, President Roosevelt suggested “that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going.” 

Letter from Kenesaw Landis to President Franklin D. Roosevelt Regarding Baseball, 1942, National Archives Identifier 6997538

Presidents, First Ladies, and their families often visit ballparks for Opening Day or just to enjoy a day out.  Sometimes they attend events where they meet major league baseball players or cheer on Little Leaguers.

[Left] President Gerald R. Ford and President Valery Giscard d'Estaing of France Greeting Baseball Player Mickey Mantle in the Receiving Line at a State Dinner Honoring President Giscard d'Estaing, 5/17/1976, National Archives Identifier 12004822 [Right] President John F. Kennedy Throws the First Pitch of the 1962 Baseball Season, 4/9/1962, National Archives Identifier 6817167

[Left] President Barack Obama Attends a Baseball Game at Nationals Park, 6/18/2010, National Archives Identifier 176549618 [Right] President George W. Bush Places a Ball on the Tee to Start the 2007 White House Tee Ball Season on the South Lawn, 6/27/2007, National Archives Identifier 117886211

[Left] Truman pitches baseball from stands, 4/19/1948, National Archives Identifier 348260811 [Right] President Ronald Reagan talking to the Chicago Cubs baseball players in the dugout during a trip to Illinois and attending a Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at Wrigley Field, 9/30/1988, National Archives Identifier 276564967

Still looking to play ball?  We have many more records about baseball and baseball players in the Catalog.  Topics include civil rights, equal access, and more.  Download a free copy of the free ebook Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives  and check out the baseball related resources on America’s Favorite Pastime for your 7th inning stretch.

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