Baseball Week at The History Bluff begins with a little-known team from the 1920’s – a group of maverick Israelites who came to America and formed a baseball team known as the House of David Baconeaters.

Outfielders Salamon Shulman, Jonam Horowitz, and Saul Teitlebaum combined to form one of the best fielding trios in baseball history.

The Baconeaters never played in the big leagues because of their race but instead toured the country to play exhibition games at state fairs and Bar Mitzvahs against nationally-recognized teams. Our archivists recovered a document that shows in 1921 the Baconeaters faced the great Babe Ruth in an exhibition game. In that year, which is considered to be the Babe’s finest, the long-haired fielders weilding pigskin gloves blanked the Babe who finished the day 0-5 at the plate.

In the mid-20’s the team struggled financially and searched for tournaments in hopes of winning cash prizes. The team entered into the 1926 National Women’s Baseball Tournament. As the tournament came to a close two teams were left standing – the House of David Baconeaters and the Monroeville Mighty Matrons. However, the game was forfeited and officials accused the Mighty Matrons of posing as women. Not until the 1940’s was it found out that the Monroeville team really was comprised of women.

Eliezer Schechter was a feared slugger during the 1920’s for the House of David Baconeaters.

America’s dark history of racism has held this small team from both history books and record books for many years. Because of finances they disbanded despite going 231-4 overall with the help of Elizer Schechter’s 175 career homeruns and Saul Teitlebaum’s 103 stolen bases.