Baseball has a long and interesting history in the Philippines, dating back to 1898 and its introduction by U.S. soldiers. In the 1910s and 20s, the Philippines had regular exchanges with the United States and Japan. Well known stars such as Tris Speaker, Red Faber, and John McGraw toured the islands, while Filipino players barnstormed through America. In 1934, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth hit the first two home runs at the newly constructed Jose Rizal Memorial Stadium - a ballpark in Manila that still hosts games to this day. The sport's popularity declined after World War II, but experienced a brief resurgence in the 1950s, culminating in 1954 with a first place finish at the Asian Baseball Championships. Even today there are active little league systems and collegiate circuits, and the national team slowly comes closer to qualifying for the World Baseball Classic. There's only one problem with baseball in the Philippines... nobody knows about it! Not even people in the Philippines!
