In Talinn in 1919

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Pre-pro Baseball
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About Pre-pro
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Awaiting Review
Date of Game 1919
Location Talinn, Estonia
Description

U.S. Army Lt. John Thors  first introduced
baseball to Estonia back in 1919. In his memoirs An American Epic (1961), former U.S. President
Herbert Hoover writes: “The only bit of humor from the Baltic was provided by Lieutenant John
Thors who had charge of child relief in Estonia. He reported that upon the arrival of our ship the
Lake Dancey, the captain asked for a field for his crew to determine whether the sailors or the
fire-men had a better baseball team. Thors had a field marked out and decided that he would
charge the Estonians admission to this strange performance. He borrowed a band from the
town and saw to it that full publicity appeared in the press. The sailors and firemen donated
cigarettes to be sold for 1.50 marks a pack – say 25 cents – a reduction of about 80 per cent of
the current price. The band, cigarettes, and baseball game proved a huge success. Lieutenant
Thors counted up 3,200 marks for the Children's Relief.” 

In August, 1923, the crew of the USS Pittsburgh even got a chance to play a game of baseball against a local 
Estonian team, defeating them by a score of 6 to 1. 

Sources

Herbert Hoover, "An American Epic" (1961)

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Found by Bruce Allardice
First in Location Estonia
Players Locality Non-local



Comments

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