America's Pastime Under the Fog of War: A Study of the Impact of World War II on Major League Baseball's Finest

World War II was a crucial point in world history and many men could not escape the desire to fight and defend their country. One subsection of men that fought in the war is the many men that competed in Major League Baseball and its affiliate leagues, the minors and the Negro League. Players that served in the war lost valuable time in their playing careers, despite this many would eventually enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The case study specifically looked at the careers of Warren Spahn, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. This research sought to deepen the understanding of baseball during World War II and shed light onto the oftentimes unknown stories of these baseball legends. Each of these four players had promising careers and were inducted into the Hall of Fame despite missing several seasons to military service.