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- Army v. Navy Game….July 4th, 1918, Baseball in London!!
- A 1918 RPPC of Navy v. Army Baseball Game on July 4th, 1918, in London.
- First pitch thrown out by King George. Significant and historic Baseball Game that was widely covered globally at the time, and has since been heavily documented and
published in books. Hall of Famer Herb Pennock pitched for the Navy team which was captained by his Red Sox teammate Mike McNally. Ed Lafitte, Detroit Tigers,
pitched for Army. Navy won 2 to 1. Arlie Latham, New York Giants, was the umpire. The first pitch baseball was signed by King George and ultimately presented to
president Woodrow Wilson. A young Winston Churchill was also in attendance. There is an account of the game in the 1919 Spalding Baseball Guide.
| The London Daily Telegraph wrote: “Nothing will give greater pleasure across the Atlantic than the appearance of the King and Queen at the baseball match at Chelsea. That mark of understanding and attention will appeal to the heart of America far more than any military pageant or review, and the handing out of the ball by the king to the players—an act which will seem trivial and incomprehensible to the German mind—is likely to do more toward the removal of century-old prejudice in America against the name ‘King George’ than the ablest diplomacy or the most persuasive rhetoric.” The London Daily Sketch memorialized the event in verse: “King George III with cannon balls Did try our brothers to dispatch. King George V the country calls To watch with him their baseball match.” On July 4 The AP reported: “King George saw the American Army defeated in a hard-fought baseball game today. The opponent of the army team was one picked from the American navy, which won by a score of 2 to 1. Every one of the nine innings had its thrills for the more than 18,000 spectators." “King George followed the game closely and enjoyed it thoroughly. At the close he turned to Admiral (William) Sims and General (John) Biddle and expressed the hope that he might be able to see many more games before the summer was over." “Few sporting events since the war began have aroused so much interest and discussion in London as yesterday’s game. Independence Day was on everybody’s lips…For several days the newspapers have been explaining baseball and the people of London have been pouring over the mysteries of the American national game, instinctively trying to find in it some parallel to their own cricket. Many persons went to the game armed with clippings and drawings of a diamond showing the position of the players." “American soldiers and sailors on their way to the game were heartily cheered. Outside the entrance to the Chelsea football grounds, where the game was played, the people lined the streets for several blocks and crowded the windows.." The wire service summed up the importance of the day: “No Country ever celebrated the national anniversary of another country as the people of Great Britain today celebrated the Fourth of July.” |
| A cropped version of the RPPC image ran in the Daily Mirror newspaper in London on July 5th, 1918. The Imperial War Museum in the UK and the National Archives in the US have other photos of the July 4th game. The Daily Mirror ran a centerfold pictorial on the game. A young Winston Churchill was also at the game. |
| The Anglo-American Baseball Project is dedicated to recreating this game 100 years later, on July 4th, 2018. ...and here is a fascinating video from the project. At 0:13 you can see the exact angle from which the picture in the RPPC was taken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D23D...ature=youtu.be Below is the write up of the game in the 1919 Spalding Baseball Guide. |
| July 4th game photos from The Imperial War Museum in the UK . |
