AUGUSTA, Ill. —  With the World Series getting under way, it’s a good time to recall a much less significant — but truly entertaining — baseball game of yesteryear.

Almost 60 years ago, the finest players from the Augusta, Illinois, area almost knocked off a team of Major League Baseball All-Stars.

The contest took place in Augusta on Oct. 8, 1952. The Augusta Merchants took on a barnstorming band of ballplayers who had little incentive other than love of the game. The matchup was held the day after the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in game seven of the World Series to capture their fourth straight title.

The Major Leaguers came from the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, New York Giants, Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox.

The Merchants included players from Pittsfield, Quincy, Augusta, Plymouth and Bowen.

The Augusta team lost 11 to 9, and might have come out on top had the All-Stars not scored five runs in the sixth inning. More than 600 people attended.

Augusta would not host such a big game again, but baseball still is a highly popular sport there.

One of the Merchants, Dave Swisegood, would go on to coach for 63 years at schools in Plymouth and Augusta, winning a state-record 950 games. He passed in November 2020 at age 90.

The cover photo is of Gene Bearden of the St. Louis Browns, the player/coach for the Major League Baseball All-Stars in a 1952 game in Augusta, Ill. The above article is taken from an upcoming book by Brent Engel of Louisiana.