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Despite his troubles, 1940 marked a turning point: he recorded his best season to date, saw his ERA drop to 3.6, and made his first All-Star team. Mahi's trajectory suggested he was on the cusp of becoming a perennial All-Star, just as the world was spiraling into chaos with the onset of World War II.
The Draft That Changed Everything
The 1940s were tumultuous years, with Germany's aggressive military moves prompting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to implement the first peacetime draft in U.S. history through the Selective Training and Service Act. It wasn't long before Hu Mahi's number was called, inducting him into the Army in March 1941, making him the first major league player to serve in the military during World War II.