This leather ball was used in the 15th annual all-star game between East and West Finland, played in Jyväskylä on 11 September 1949. The Finnish Pesäpallo Association decided to use a ball that had been autographed by Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, Finland’s wartime leader and retired former President. The same ball was used in all East-West games until 1974.
The game in 1949 was played in pouring rain in front of 4,000 spectators and ended in a 9-9 tie.