When wartime service baseball is discussed among or by baseball and military historians, what comes to mind are the Navy, Army, Army Air Forces and Marine Corps games and teams in Great Lakes, Norfolk, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Santa Ana, Hawaii, and Nuremberg. Few, if any, recall the Army, Navy and Coast Guard ball teams in the Pacific Northwest. But professional-caliber baseball was indeed played with teams from Naval Air Station Seattle (later Pasco), Fort Lewis, Fort Adair, Fort Lawton, U. S. Coast Guard Repair Yard, U.S. Coast Guard Station Seattle fielding squads with players from the major and minor leagues along with former semi-pros, collegiate and amateurs.
Programs and scorecards from service games are a scarcity. For the July 4, 1943 contest between the Naval Air Station Pasco (Washington) and Army All-Stars of the Pacific Northwest League, the remnants of the scorecard represent the only piece that we have encountered.
The 1942 Pasco Flyers team was a powerhouse that captured the Pacific Northwest Service League crown, finishing with the best record and by sweeping the Fort Lewis Warriors in a best of three championship series. The 1943 team was well on their way to repeating as mid-season arrived. The game was played on July 4 as the Army pulled together a top-flight assemblage of players from as far south as Camp Adair (near Albany, Oregon), Fort Lewis (Tacoma), Fort Lawton (Seattle), and Paine Field (Everett).
The Navy’s Johnny Bittner went the distance, limiting the Army All-Stars to one run on seven hits. No balls were hit out of Seattle’s Sick’s Stadium as the Army’s Herm Reich, Bill Beard, and Bob Kubicek along with Pasco’s Edo Vanni, Danny Amaral, and Earl Torgeson all accounting for doubles in the extra base hits column. Army hurler Jack Knott, formerly of the Philadelphia Athletics, lasted seven innings and was the losing pitcher in the army’s effort. Download and view the remains of the cut program.
1943 Army All-Stars :
| Team | Player | Position | Former |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ack Acks | Frank Nagy | C | Michigan League |
| Camp Adair | Jack Knott | P/Mgr | Athletics |
| Fort Lawton | Andy Anderson | IF | Springfield (IIIL) |
| Fort Lawton | Gordon Cockroft | P | Spokane (WIL) |
| Fort Lawton | George “Jiggs” Dahlberg | Mgr. | University of Montana |
| Fort Lawton | Robert Henriksen | P | Vancouver (WIL) |
| Fort Lawton | Clarence Maddern | OF | Vancouver (WIL) |
| Fort Lawton | Roy Paton | IF | Vancouver (WIL) |
| Fort Lawton | Harold Robinson | P | Dothan (GAFL) |
| Fort Lawton | James “Buddy” Robinson | IF | Gloversville-Johnstown (CAML) |
| Fort Lawton | Earl Torgeson | IF | Seattle (PCL) |
| Fort Lawton | Dick Warfield | OF | Vancouver (WIL) |
| Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion | Roy Fowler | OF | Columbus (SALL) |
| Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion | Bill Kufta | P | Mount Airy (BIST) |
| Fort Lewis Barrage Balloon Battalion | Hooper Triplett | OF | Rochester (IL) |
| Fort Lewis | Morrie Arnovich | MGR/OF | Giants |
| Fort Lewis | Bill Beard | C | Seattle (PCL) |
| Fort Lewis | Bill “Bev” Brown | P | |
| Fort Lewis | Jonas Gaines | P | Elite Giants (NNL) |
| Fort Lewis | George Handy | 3B | NY Blank Yankees/Harlem Giants |
| Fort Lewis | Bob Kubicek | C | Cincinnati Org. |
| Fort Lewis | John Mauer | SS | Montgomery (SEAL) |
| Fort Lewis | Johnny Novak | 2B | Semi-pro |
| Fort Lewis | Herm Reich | 1B | Portland (PCL) |
| Fort Lewis | Steve Sakas | P | Waterloo (IIIL) |
| McChord Field | Bernard Blasco | IF | |
| Paine Field | Emil Wohlcke | P | Pioneer League |
| Quartermaster Corps | Frank Johnson | C |
The condition of our scorecard is less than desirable as only the first and opposing second pages remain from the dismantled artifact. In addition, the Army’s roster was also cut from the scorecard with both pieces glued to a blue folder.
Naval Air Station Pasco Flyers:
| Player | Position | Former |
|---|---|---|
| Dan “Danny” Amaral | OF | Portland (PCL) |
| Steve Ananicz | C | Sherbrooke (QUPL) |
| Harold V. “Hunk” Anderson | P | Spokane (WIL) |
| Edson “Ed” Bahr | P | Augusta (SALL) |
| Baker | RF | |
| Johnny Bittner | P | Hollywood (PCL) |
| Lindsay Brown | SS | Portland (PCL) |
| Mike Budnick | P | Seattle (PCL) |
| Mel Cole | 2B, C | Tacoma (WIL) |
| Danny Escobar | OF | Portland (PCL) |
| Fred Gay | P | Hollywood (PCL) |
| Marv Harshman | 1B | Pacific Lutheran University |
| Bobby “Bob” Hornig | CF | Spokane (WIL) |
| Bob Kahle | IF | Hollywood (PCL) |
| Henry “Marty” Martinez | 2B | Portland (PCL) |
| Levi McCormack | OF | Spokane (WIL) |
| Vince Pesky | P | Amateur |
| Ken Peters | 2B/OIC | |
| Bill “Scoppy” Scoppatone | RF | Winston-Salem (PIED) |
| Harvey Storey | SS | Tulsa (TL) |
| Edo Vanni | OF/MGR | Seattle (PCL) |
| Don White | OF/3B | San Francisco (PCL) |
This scorecard/program was acquired at auction, February 2024.
Return to Library of Military Baseball Scorecards, Score-books and Game Programs: Continental U.S.
Chevrons and Diamonds 