In front of about 10,000 people attending a Saturday morning publicity stunt organized by the Come to Cleveland Committee, five members of the Indians attempt to set a record by catching a baseball thrown from the top of the 708-foot Terminal Tower. Twenty-four year-old rookie third string catcher Henry Helf, wearing his street clothes, catches a ball dropped from the 52-story structure, estimated to be traveling at the speed of 138 mph, to break Gabby Street’s mark for a vertical catch established when the Senator catcher snagged a sphere dropped 555 feet from the top of the Washington Monument in 1908.

DF6815E7-F43C-4AC0-B7A6-1B194052B84C

On August 20, 1938 — In front of about 10,000 people attending a Saturday morning publicity stunt organized by the Come to Cleveland Committee, five members of the Indians attempt to set a record by catching a baseball thrown from the top of the 708-foot Terminal Tower. Twenty-four year-old rookie third string catcher Henry Helf, wearing his street clothes, catches a ball dropped from the 52-story structure, estimated to be traveling at the speed of 138 mph, to break Gabby Street’s mark for a vertical catch established when the Senator catcher snagged a sphere dropped 555 feet from the top of the Washington Monument in 1908.

Sources:
National Pastime

Support us!
Own this Day and Be Part of Baseball History

Daily Rewind - Baseball History delivered daily

* indicates required

Baseball is the only game you can watch on the radio. Join the community today and listen to hundreds of broadcasts from baseball’s golden age.

Lets go! Start listening!

Start Listening today!
Share the Post:

Related Posts

Load More
Start Listieng to Classic Baseball Broadcasts (1934 - 1973)

Start Listieng to Classic Baseball Broadcasts (1934 - 1973)

Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!

$9.99/month
$99/year
class="wp-singular post-template-default single single-post postid-132743 single-format-standard wp-custom-logo wp-embed-responsive wp-theme-kadence wp-child-theme-kadence-child logged-out footer-on-bottom hide-focus-outline link-style-standard content-title-style-normal content-width-normal content-style-unboxed content-vertical-padding-show non-transparent-header mobile-non-transparent-header kadence-elementor-colors elementor-default elementor-kit-193430 elementor-page-193959"