The North African World Series (also known as the "GI World Series") was a best two-out-of-three-game baseball championship played on October 3 and 4, 1943, between the Casablanca Yankees and the Algiers Streetwalkers, drawn from the ranks of American soldiers and sailors stationed in North Africa during World War II.

History

During World War II,

Zeke Bonura Henry John "Zeke" Bonura (September 20, 1908 – March 9, 1987) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1934 through 1940, he played for the Chicago White Sox (1934–1937), Washington Senators (1938, 1940), New York Giants (1939) and ...

, a major league baseball player, was posted to

Oran, Algeria Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

. He organized large-scale baseball operations, consisting of 150 teams in 6 leagues. Playoffs among the teams narrowed them to two finalists – the Casablanca Yankees, consisting of medics, with a season record of 32-2 in the Casablanca-Oran area, and the Algiers Streetwalkers, consisting of MPs, which had been 17-3 in the Algiers-Tunis League. The North African World Series was a best two-out-of-three-game championship played on October 3 and 4, 1943, at St. Eugene municipal stadium in

Algiers, Algeria Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

, between the two teams. Attendance at the games was 4,000 people. Major General Everett Hughes, deputy theater commander, threw out the first ball. The Casablanca Yankees won the series in two straight games. They won the first game 9–0, and then won the second game 7–6, after scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth. The best hitter in the series was Lieutenant

Walt Singer Walter Wallace Singer (December 6, 1911 – February 5, 1992) was an American college football player at Syracuse University, and a professional football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was also a sub-novice Int ...

, the only officer in the games, who played first base and also served as Casablanca's manager. A former

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

All-American football player, Singer had also played football in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He had five hits, including the sole homer of the series, the pivotal hit in the second game. Bonura promoted the North African World Series through coverage on the

Armed Forces Radio Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...

. A

play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

commentary of each game was broadcast by radio to all American military personnel in the Mediterranean theater. Press coverage appeared in the ''Armed Forces Weekly'' and the '' Stars and Stripes''. The winners were presented with baseballs autographed by General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, and the winning team received a trophy made from an unexploded Italian bomb.

References

{{Reflist, 2 1943 in baseball Baseball finals Baseball competitions in Africa 1943 in African sport 1943 in Algeria 1943 in Algerian sport October 1943 sports events