The Abe Stark Story

Back in the early days of baseball, many Major League Baseball parks looked pretty similar to the minor league ones we have today. The walls in the outfield were filled with ads, just like the ones at the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ebbets Field. But one sign, the Abe Stark one, was extra special.

Abe Stark was a businessman who also worked in politics. He ran a clothing store in East New York and got into politics in the 1950s. He was the head of the New York City Council from 1954 to 1961 and later became the big shot in Brooklyn from 1962 to 1970.

But what really made Abe Stark famous was his sign in right-center field at Ebbets Field. This sign said, "Hit sign, win suit." The idea was simple: if a baseball player could hit the sign with a fly ball, they'd get a free suit. The sign wasn't super high, only three feet, so it was a tough target. They put it under the scoreboard in 1931. Back in the 1950s, the Dodgers had a great outfield, so not too many players got free suits. But this wasn't the only sign at Ebbets Field. The first one covered the whole right field wall and was easier to hit. They moved it in 1931. The first sign got hit a lot more times. One of Abe Stark's employees even said they gave more suits to players than regular customers.

The legend goes that only one player from the other team ever hit the sign in the air. That player was Mel Ott from the New York Giants, and he did it twice. The only Dodger to do it was Woody English in 1937. There's also a story about Carl Furillo, who won a free suit for keeping the sign safe. But when he went to pick up his "free" suit, Stark had him sign a bunch of papers.

Back then, hitting the sign was a big deal because players didn't make much money like they do now. They even had to get regular jobs after the baseball season. Nowadays, we still have challenges for hitters. Like at Oracle Park, there's a giant baseball glove in left-center field. If a player can hit it with a home run, they can win $1 million. Back at the old Turner Field in Atlanta, there was a big Coca-Cola sign in left field. If a player could hit it, they'd get a million bucks too.

When Abe Stark first put up his sign, it only cost him $275 a year. But when TV got involved in baseball, more people saw the signs, and the price went up fast. In the final Dodgers season at Ebbets Field, Stark had to pay a whopping $2,500 to keep his sign in the game.