Washington Nationals Pay Tribute to Baseball’s Service Members at Arlington National Cemetery Ahead of Opening Day 2026
As the nation’s capital awaits baseball’s return, the Washington Nationals took time to honor the brave members of the armed forces who served the country and also played our beloved game.
Ahead of Opening Day, the Nationals provided Arlington National Cemetery official MLB baseballs, which were placed on six historic graves, including at the sites of two individuals who played baseball professionally in Washington, D.C.
The tradition, now in its third year, exemplifies the spirit of baseball in the nation’s capital as America approaches its 250th anniversary.
The baseballs were placed at the gravesites of:
- Luzerne “Lu” Blue, a Major Leaguer and Washington, D.C., native, whose baseball career was interrupted in 1918 when he was drafted to serve in World War I.
- Abner Doubleday, an early adopter of baseball and often mistakenly credited with inventing the sport. Doubleday served as a major general of U.S. volunteers in the Army of the Potomac.
- William Eckert, baseball’s fourth Commissioner between 1965-68, and lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force. At the time of his commission, Lt. Gen. Eckert was the youngest three-star officer in the United States Armed Forces.
- Elmer Gedeon, a player for the Washington Senators who was drafted in 1941 and later died in service in 1944. Lt. Gedeon was one of two known Major Leaguers to have fallen in battle during World War II.
- Spottswood “Spot” Poles, a Negro Leagues outfielder known for his speed and batting average, who served in the 369th Infantry Regiment—aka the Harlem Hellfighters—in World War I and earned five battle stars and a Purple Heart for his heroism.
- Ernest Judson “Jud” Wilson, a Negro Leagues third baseman who competed with the Homestead Grays in D.C., between 1931-32 and 1940-45, and served in World War I. Cpl. Wilson is a member of the Ring of Honor at Nationals Park and was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Photos courtesy of the U.S. Army and Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery.