This photo of the home of Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pa., ran in the December 1949 Electrical Worker. IBEW members volunteered on field improvements that year.
As another baseball season begins, it’s time to recall a historical IBEW connection to our nation’s pastime.
What we know today as Major League Baseball was born in 1876, when eight teams came together to organize the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. In 1901, the creation of the rival American League allowed for the first World Series in 1903.
Today, most major league stadiums were built and are maintained by IBEW members, but this is the story of one the most famous playing fields for the kids dreaming of becoming pro ballplayers.
Founded by Carl Stotz in 1939, the Little League began with three teams from Williamsport, Pa. Stotz developed the idea the previous summer when he invited his nephews and their friends to play games in Max M. Brown Memorial Park alongside Lycoming Creek.
Stotz experimented with various field dimensions in each game, helping him determine rules and standards tailored for children. The first Little League game was held on June 6, 1939. The format proved to be a success, and new teams quickly sprouted throughout Pennsylvania. In 1947, the first out-of-state team was formed in Hammonton, N.J. The time had come for the Little League to host its first World Series.
Held on Stotz’s field, the inaugural Little League World Series commenced on Aug. 21, 1947. It garnered national attention, and within a year there were teams up and down the coast, from Maine to Florida.
By 1949, Stotz’s original field was starting to show its age. The facilities were in serious need of repair if they were to accommodate the ever-growing crowds. So, in preparation for the league’s 10th anniversary and the upcoming third Little League World Series, the trade unions of Williamsport volunteered their time to give the field an upgrade. Included among them was IBEW Local 812 of Williamsport
“Our electrical contractors, through the cooperation with Local 812, planned a program to purchase the material needed for the new buildings at the very lowest possible cost,” wrote O.F. Reeser, press secretary of Local 812, in the December 1949 issue of The Electrical Worker. “Our electricians volunteered their services and are to be commended for the fine spirit and work they performed toward the promotion of the birthplace of Little League Baseball.”
Stotz’s field would continue to host the Little League World Series until the construction of Howard J. Lamade Stadium in 1958 in South Williamsport, Pa. Today, there are over 180,000 Little League teams throughout the world, and every year the best of the best meet at Lamade Stadium for the World Series.
Stotz’s original field is still active and continues to host annual tournaments for local teams. In 2014, the field was added to the National Register of Historic Places, solidifying its place in our cultural history, a history that the IBEW was honored to play its part in.
