Chevrons and Diamonds

1943 Navy Pier Marines vs St. Louis Browns

October 7, 2022

2–3 minutes

Led by future Hall of Fame enshrinee First Lieutenant Ted Lyons, the 1943 Navy Pier Marines baseball squad consisted of Marine Corps Aviation trainees who were undergoing instruction in Chicago. Lyons, a physical fitness and combat readiness instructor who recently arrived at the base following completion of his course and commissioning as an officer, was tasked with assembling a baseball team to compete against area service teams and semi-pro clubs.

It was no easy task to field a club that could face the high-class competition that included the cross-town star-studded Great Lakes Naval Training Station Bluejackets led by LT Mickey Cochrane. By June 1943, the team was invited to Davenport, Iowa to take on the St. Louis Browns during the Major League All-Star break, on July 13.

This game program dimensions are 9×6-inches and consists of 12 pages including the front and back covers. Printed on medium-weight paper stock, the entire booklet is monochrome black. View the program in its entirety.

The program and scorecard from the exhibition game is utilitarian and lacking aesthetics seen on many wartime domestic examples. Sparing no space, even half of the cover was dedicated to advertisements (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

The printed rosters and line-ups differed from game day due to scheduling changes and player injuries. The Browns were missing shortstop Vern Stephens and centerfielder Chet Laabs who were named starters for the American League All-Star team. The Marines roster likely varied due to operational necessities of the Marine Corps.

The game was billed as a pitching match-up between two greats as the Browns coaxed their broadcaster from the booth to return to the mound and face the Lyons-led team. Dizzy Dean was a few years removed from his last season with the Cubs following a Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Cardinals. For for the full story of the game, see Dizzy Dean Settles Score with Lt. Ted Lyons in Iowa.

At the time of printing, our scorecard listed the Marines team roster, albeit with misspellings of some players’ names (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

The condition of our program/scorecard is good showing signs of being folded, some moisture damage and oxidation. The scoring grids are partially completed showing that the original owner followed the game through the fourth inning.