The American Legion was founded in St. Louis in 1919, and the Baseball Program began six years later in 1925. Missouri American Legion Baseball has a rich tradition dating back to the 1950s. Missouri sponsors over 50 senior teams and over 60 junior teams with hundreds of local players, all with the potential of advancing to the American Legion World Series. Approximately 50 percent of today’s Major Leaguers began their careers in Legion baseball. In 2006, Albert Pujols received the Graduate Award which is presented to a Major Leaguer who played American Legion Baseball. Pujols played for Post 340 in Independence, Missouri in the late 1990s. Yogi Berra played for Stockham Post 245 in St. Louis and was once quoted as saying it was the most fun he ever had.

Tom Rhoads is the Missouri American Legion Baseball Chairman. He is constantly working to improve the league. Missouri is divided into four zones and seventeen districts. Rhoads works with the commissioners of the four zones. St. Louis is in District 10 and St. Charles is in District 9.

American Legion teams now compete in the St. Louis Metro Collegiate Baseball League. The annual American Legion All-Star Game will be August 6, 2023 at Busch Stadium and will be called the “Gateway Border War 2023.”

Three Missouri teams have won the American Legion World Series and they were all from the St. Louis area. In 1956, Stockham Post 245 won the national title over New Orleans in Bismarck, North Dakota. The World Series was also played in Bismarck in 1962 when Anheuser-Busch Post 299 beat Honolulu. In 1972, Ballwin Post 611 won the World Series in Memphis against the hometown team. The championship game was a thriller with Ballwin edging the unbeaten Memphis American Legion team 3-2 to earn the title. Ballwin’s pitching star Mike Murphy was the National Tournament’s Most Valuable Player and the Legion National Player of the Year. Many of the young men on all three championship teams are now in the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, including Mike Murphy.

A majority of the members of the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame played American Legion Baseball. Missouri American Legion Baseball provides a stepping stone to adulthood for young men who have gone on to achieve their goals and compete at a high level.