Freddy and the Baseball Team From Mars

Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars

Cover with Freddy in his disguise as the team coach
Author	Walter R. Brooks
Illustrator	Kurt Wiese
Country	U.S.
Language	American English
Series	Freddy the Pig
Genre	Children's novel, Comic novel
Publisher	Knopf, The Overlook Press
Publication date	1955 (Knopf), 1999 (Overlook Press)
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	239 (pp. 3 – 241)
ISBN	(1999 hardback)
OCLC	42830698
Preceded by	Freddy and the Men from Mars
Followed by	Freddy and Simon the Dictator

Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars (1955) is the 23rd book in the humorous children's series Freddy the Pig by American author Walter R. Brooks, illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Capitalizing on Martians' ability to pitch with any of four arms, Freddy creates a baseball team of Martians and circus animals to compete against neighboring towns. An old foe of Freddy's tries to rig the games.

Freddy's ice skating with the animals on the bean farm is interrupted by a request from Mr. Boomschmidt, the circus owner, to find a kidnapped Martian. "Mr. Boom", already anticipating that Freddy will solve the case with his detective skills, muses that the Martians could use a more interesting activity than being a circus sideshow. Since they are fast and accurate throwers, the pig suggests a baseball team.

The immediate problem is finding the missing Martian, Squeak-squeak. A suspect is the criminal Anderson, whom Freddy has thwarted before, and who loiters around the circus. Since Freddy must remain unknown during his investigation, he dons the disguise of an old baseball coach named Henry Arquebus with glasses, an overcoat, and large beard, and moves to town. He cautiously lures Anderson into friendship. Freddy is puzzled when the Martians, at first eager for his help, now refuse to discuss Squeak-Squeak. Mr. Boom is certain they are in trouble, and encourages Freddy to investigate, anyhow.

The Martians are enthusiastic about baseball, especially after learning that the purpose of baseball is not, as they thought, to hit the batter and knock him unconscious. Practice begins on a muddy bean farm field. There are four Martians; most of the rest of the team are circus animals.

Freddy sets the robin Mr. J. J. Pomeroy, the head of the A.B.I. (Animal Bureau of Investigation), to watch the Martians and Anderson. Apparently unrelatedly, his rich friend Mrs. Church asks Freddy to investigate a burglary by a ghost in her house. Since the stolen necklace is costume jewelry worth only 25 cents, Freddy suggests a reward for "one third the value".

The team practices for a month, and spectators watch. Freddy (in his disguise as Mr. Arquebus) tells the Martians to swing at every pitch, no matter how wild. Freddy will not explain the reason for this, but apparently it has to do with the trick planned for the manager of the Tushville baseball team, Mr. Kurtz, who used professionals the previous year in an amateur game.