Seventy years ago today witnessed one of the most bizarre days in New York City baseball history: an inspiring three-way game pitting the Yankees against the Dodgers against the Giants.
It’s true: All three New York City franchises took the field at the Polo Grounds on June 26, 1944. It was an exhibition game meant to raise funds for a good cause, of course. But it was one for the ages.
And it’s not too soon to start planning for a rematch on the 75th anniversary in 2019.
The unprecedented event 70 years ago was the brainchild of Max Kase, the legendary sports editor of the New York Journal-American and a key figure in organizing war bond sales in support of the ongoing battle against Hitler and Hirohito.
The game, which was thus one part baseball and two parts massive fundraiser, made for a grand citywide spectacle for the 50,000 fans (including 500 GIs on the mend from battlefield wounds) lucky enough to get in.
Comedians Milton Berle and Al Schacht treated the crowd to a series of baseball zingers. The players warmed up by engaging in contests of fungo-hitting skill, sprinting to home and catcher-throwing accuracy.
When Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia himself came down for the first of three ceremonial first pitches, the crowd was ready for a grand old time.
Of course, the rosters of all three teams had been depleted by the war effort. Yet no one seemed to care.
Cartoonist Willard Mullin’s elaborate drawing for the souvenir program was typical of the genial spirit of the day, featuring a rotund Giant, a devious Yankee and a disheveled “Bum” — each in the act of swinging his bat at the others.
The real players seemed to have just as much fun on the field. Each team batted six times and fielded six times — and sat out three innings — rotating so that every player had an equal opportunity to score and defend.
The Dodgers, with six runs, came away with bragging rights. The Yankees scored once. The Giants, alas, were shut out.
Everyone agreed that the experiment had been an indelible moment at the old ball game, not to mention an unforgettable episode in the city’s baseball history.
Now, the game’s 75th anniversary is coming up, meaning it’s high time to start planning a rematch. The Giants and the Dodgers have since headed west, but no matter; the game would be an unprecedented, New York-style reunion.
Bring those two teams back to the city on June 26, 2019, and have them square off again against the Yankees, this time at Citi Field. The Mets and their fans will be the perfect hosts. Heck, put the Amazin’s on the field, too, and see what happens.
The reunion game could once again be for charity. This time, a suitable beneficiary would be the families of serving soldiers, those who make do with so little, even as their loved ones serve their country.
Invite celebrities to participate. Ask the mayor (or the president) to throw ceremonial pitches. Put the teams in throwback jerseys. Make sure some of our soldiers are there to participate. You’ll have the ingredients for an unforgettable day, all for a great cause.
And after the fact, baseball could auction off the game jerseys for even more charitable proceeds.
Would New Yorkers be interested in such a game? Who wouldn’t be? A better question is whether Major League Baseball would be willing to put on such an unusual event in this day and age.
No doubt, there would be many obstacles standing in the way, from the costs to the logistics. But baseball can surely overcome them, especially if New Yorkers want it to.
Indeed, in this age of growth-hormone scandals and skyrocketing salaries, and with the prospect of an aging fan base looming in the wings, what better way for baseball to demonstrate that it is not just a profit machine but rather the definitive American pastime — a metaphor for all that makes the nation and its people so great?
James J. Kimble is associate professor of Communication & the Arts at Seton Hall University. His latest book is “Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II.”