1912 Olympics

Baseball made its Olympics debut as a demonstration sport at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. In its first appearance on the program, it was featured in a single game.

The game was originally scheduled to take place on evening of July 10th, during the track and field competition, but the American Olympic Committee forbade its players from taking part in the exhibition until athletic events were finished. Therefore, the game took place on July 15th at 10:00 AM the Östermalm Athletic Grounds in Stockholm. The opposing teams were an American team consisting of track and field athletes and the Vesterås Baseball Club representing Sweden.

Two Americans, Wesley Oler and Ben Adams, played for the Swedish team, replacing the inexperienced pitchers and catchers. Two Swedes relieved the American pitcher Adams. The game lasted six innings, with the Americans not batting in the 6th and Swedes were allowed six outs in their frame. The game was not played in front of many spectators, most of which were Americans or Swedish-Americans. Future major leaguer Jim Thorpe, who was the undisputed star of the games, did not play.

The game was umpired by George Wright, the former National Association and National League player. Eight Olympic medalists took part in the game:

• George Bonhag - 3000 metre team race, gold
• Fred Kelly - 100 metre hurdles, gold
• Ben Adams - standing high jump, silver; standing long jump, bronze
• Richard Byrd - discus throw, silver
• Abel Kiviat - 1500 metre, silver
• Ira Davenport - 800 metre, bronze
• George Horine - high jump, bronze
• Lawrence Whitney - shot put, bronze

Line Score

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
United States	4	1	0	0	8	x	13	10	2
Sweden	0	0	0	2	0	1*	3	7	5

Note: Sweden was allowed 6 outs in bottom of the sixth inning.

Box Score

United States	AB	R	H	PO	A	E		Sweden	AB	R	H	PO	A	E
Howard Drew, RF	1	1	0	0	0	0		Wesley Oler (USA), C	4	0	1	7	2	0
Lawrence Whitney, RF	1	1	0	0	0	0		Ben Adams (USA), P	3	0	1	2	2	1
Ira Courtney, 3B	3	2	2	1	0	0		Frank Nelson (USA), P	1	0	0	0	1	0
Abel Kiviat, SS	4	2	2	2	0	0		Harlan Holden (USA), P	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Paul Jones, 2B	3	1	1	1	2	0		Sapery, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0
Fred Kelly, CF	3	1	1	0	0	1		Welin, 1B	3	0	0	2	0	1
Norman Patterson, CF	1	0	0	0	0	0		Wikman, 3B	3	0	1	0	0	0
Ira Davenport, C	3	2	2	7	0	0		Landahl, 2B	3	0	1	3	0	2
Frank Irons, LF	2	0	1	1	0	0		Y. Larson, RF	3	1	1	0	0	0
George Horine, LF	1	1	0	1	0	0		Torsleff, LF	2	1	1	0	0	0
George Bonhag, 1B	2	0	0	6	0	0		A. Johansson, LF	1	1	1	0	0	0
Vaughn Blanchard, 1B	1	0	1	2	0	1		Axell, CF	3	0	0	1	0	0
Richard Byrd, P	0	0	0	0	1	0
Carroll Haff, P	2	0	0	0	1	0
Walter McClure, P	0	1	0	0	0	0
Totals	27	13	10	21	4	2		Totals	30	3	7	15	5	5

Doubles – Courtney, Wikman

Triples – Kiviat

Double Play – Byrd to Bonhag

Stolen Base – Kiviat, Jones (2), Davenport (2), Johansson

Struck Out – by Byrd, 3; by Haff, 3; by McClure, 1; by Adams, 3; by Nelson, 3; by Holden, 1

Base on Balls – off Adams, 1; off Nelson, 3

Wild Pitches – Adams, Nelson

Hit-by-Pitch – Drew, Kelly

Passed Balls – Oler (2), Davenport (2)

Umpire - George Wright

Second Game

A second game was held on the following day (July 16th) between two American clubs, East and West. However, this game was not a part of the Olympic program. The East squad won the game 6 to 3. The East team featured a battery of Platt Adams of the New York Athletic Club and catcher C.E. Brickley from Harvard University. The West team's pitchers were Walter McClure of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Richard Byrd from Adrian College, and Edward Lindberg of the Chicago Athletic Association was the team's catcher. Platt Adams was the brother of Ben Adams, who had pitched for the Swedish team the day before, while Byrd and McClure had pitched for the American team. The game was viewed by a large crowd, according the the next day's New York Times. Jim Thorpe played in the second game, playing right field and hit a double in two plate appearances.