Eddie Gaedel was the shortest player in the history of the major leagues ever. Eddie was only 3 feet 7 inches tall and weighs only 65 pounds. Eddie made at-bat appearance only once and in this only appearance he walked with four straight balls in a row before getting replaced by a pinch-runner at the first base.

His real name was Edward Carl Gaedel, but he was known as “Eddie”. He was born on June 8, 1925 and died on June 18, 1961. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was an American dwarf. He became famous when he participated in Major League Baseball game.

Sunday, August 19, 1951, was the date when Gaedel gained his appearance in the second game of a St. Louis Browns doubleheader. St. Louis Browns signed Gaedel secretly. He was presented by the St. Louis Browns owner, Bill Veeck in a proper uniform with elf slippers & the number ”1/8″, on the back. About Eddie, Veeck said in his autobiography,

“the best darn midget who ever played big-league ball.”

During World War II, Gaedel worked as a riveter due to his size as his height made him able to crawl inside the wings of airplanes.

Eddie Gaedel

Eddie Gaedel