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All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through . For the first three seasons the league did not have an official All-Star team. Nevertheless, on July 1, 1943, took effect the first All-Star Game of the league, which coincidentally became the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. The contest was played under temporary lights between two teams composed of Racine Belles and Kenosha Comets players against South Bend Blue Sox and Rockford Peaches players. At the end of the inaugural season the league selected an All-Star team composed of fifteen players. Currently there are no records available to indicate that an All-Star team was recognized during the 1944 and 1945 seasons. Starting in 1946, the team's managers of the league selected a squad of All-Star players as a result of individual achievements and performances during the regular season. In the voting, more than a hund ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the United States. Over 600 women played in the league, which consisted of eventually 10 teams located in the American Midwest. In 1948, league attendance peaked at over 900,000 spectators. The most successful team, the Rockford Peaches, won a league-best four championships. The 1992 film ''A League of Their Own'' is a mostly fictionalized account of the early days of the league and its stars. Founding and play With the entry of the United States into World War II, several major league baseball executives started a new professional league with women players in order to maintain baseball in the public eye while the majority of able men were away. The founders included Philip K. Wrigley, Branch Rickey, and Paul V. Harper. They feared that Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pauline Pirok
Pauline Pirok ier-ock(October 18, 1926 – July 25, 2020) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 132 lb., Pirok batted and threw right-handed. She earned the nickname ''Pinky Pirok''. Biography A native of Chicago, Illinois, Pirok entered the AAGPBL in 1943 with the Kenosha Comets, playing for them two and a half years before joining the South Bend Blue Sox (1945–1948). For six years, she divided her playing time at third base and shortstop, making a few appearances as an emergency pitcher. Her most productive season came in 1943, when she hit a career-best .234 average as a 17-year-old rookie. In that same season, Pirok helped Kenosha beat the Blue Sox in a game, 10–0, collecting four hits in five at-bats, including a double and a triple. In the following series against the Rockford Peaches, which the Comets swept, she kept up her hot hitting going 4-for-10, including four of the eight runs tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophie Kurys
Sophie Kurys (May 14, 1925 – February 17, 2013) was a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , Kurys batted and threw right-handed. Career A native of Flint, Michigan, Kurys was by far the greatest stolen base, base stealer in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history. She was nicknamed ''Tina Cobb'' or the ''Flint Flash'' for her swiftness in stealing bases, because once she Times on base, reached base she was virtually unstoppable. Eighty percent of the time she stole at least one base, averaging 150 steals per season between 1944 and 1950, with a career-high 201 in 1946. She also amassed a World Record with a career 1,114 stolen bases, more than Ty Cobb (892), and later more than both Lou Brock (938) and Japanese star Yutaka Fukumoto (1,065), until her mark was surpassed by Rickey Henderson in . Her 201 stolen bases in a single season still stands as a professional record, collec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruth Lessing
Ruth Elizabeth "Tex" Lessing (August 15, 1925 – October 26, 2000) was an American female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Ruth Lessing has been considered as one of the best defensive catchers in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history. Respected for her solid skills behind home plate, including a strong and accurate arm, Lessing also was renowned for her fiery and competitive spirit. She played over 100 games during four straight seasons, was selected to the All-Star Team three consecutive years, and set several all-time, single-season records before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury that forced her to retire prematurely. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Lessing was a standout athlete at Jefferson High School. She was spotted in the early 1940s by a scout from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She graduated in 1944 and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connie Wisniewski
Constance Wisniewski (Wiśniewski) (February 18, 1922 – May 4, 1995) was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 147 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Overview profile Connie Wisniewski has been considered by many historians as the best underhand pitcher of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A model of consistency, in 1946 she completed all 40 of her starts and was named to the first of her four All-Star Teams. She averaged 26 wins in each of her first four seasons, including two with more of 30. In addition, she posted a 107-48 career record to become one of only seven pitchers to collect 100 or more victories in AAGPBL history, ranking behind Helen Nicol (163), Jean Faut (140), Joanne Winter (133), Dorothy Collins (117), Maxine Kline (116) and Nancy Warren (114). Wisniewski also holds the league's all-time record for best winning percentage (.6 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter '' o' (November 24, 1924 – September 22, 1996) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Early life A native of Chicago, Illinois, Joanne Winter was the daughter of George Winter and Edith (née Watson) Winter, of German and Scottish origins, respectively. The young Winter attended Proviso Township High School in Maywood, Illinois. Athletically inclined, she participated in basketball, soccer, swimming, volleyball, track and field, tennis, and handball as a youth in Maywood, a western suburb of Chicago. At age 11, she joined the Oak Park Coeds softball team. In addition, she spent much of her free time training in a gymnasium owned by Jocko Conlan, a local hero and an umpire with Major League Baseball experience. Winter dropped out of Proviso Township High School at 15 to play softball for the Parichy Roofing Company, well known as a Bloomer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carolyn Morris
Carolyn E. Morris (September 28, 1925 – February 20, 1996) was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 157 lb., Morris batted and threw right-handed. She was nicknamed ''India'' by her teammates and close friends. A hard-throwing, underhand pitcher, Carolyn Morris had a brief but relevant career in the AAGPBL. She hurled a perfect game, three no-hitters, twelve innings of no-hit ball in a final championship series, and averaged 26 wins in each of her three seasons in the circuit. In addition, she was a member of a champion team and earned an All-Star berth. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Morris was a smiling attractive brunette who pursued a modeling career before turning all of her attention to baseball. She started pitching fastball in grammar school, and stayed in school competition right up to and through high school. After that, she hurled in the Phoenix area in male teams. In addition, Morris was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anna Mae Hutchison
Anna May Hutchison Hutch"(May 1, 1925 – January 29, 1998) was a female pitcher and catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 149 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Sometimes she is credited as Anna Mae Hutchison (or Hutchinson). A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Anna May Hutchison was one of the most dominant sidearm pitchers in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history and holds the all-time record for most pitching appearances in a single season. A two-time All-Star, she pitched a no-hitter, led her team to a championship title, and topped the league in wins in a regular season. Her promising career was cut short with a succession of injuries in her throwing arm. Career summary Hutchison grew up in Louisville and played softball in the local Girls Athletic Association (GAA) during her high school years. She later played for the Camera Corner team, who won the Louisville city championship. Af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1946 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Season
The 1946 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the fourth season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expansion brought two new franchises to the previous six-team format. At this point, the Muskegon Lassies and the Peoria Redwings joined the Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The eight teams competed through a 112-game schedule, while the final Shaugnessy playoffs faced season winner Racine against defending champion Rockford in a Best of Seven Series. Other modifications occurred in the league during 1946. The ball was decreased in size from 11½ inches to 11 inches. In addition, the base paths were lengthened to 70 feet and the sidearm pitching was introduced, as the league was moving toward baseball. Several pitching records were set during the season. Racine's Anna Mae Hutchison recorded two marks that would never be broken: most innings pitched in a single game (19 against P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1945 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Season
The 1945 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the third season of the circuit. The action began with six teams, like the previous season. But the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes franchises were renamed the Grand Rapids Chicks and Fort Wayne Daisies respectively. The measure took effect for poor attendances in the cities of these teams the year before. At this point, the new clubs joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox, all founding members of the league. The six teams competed through a 110-game schedule, while the split season was dropped in favor of a longer playoff format with the Shaugnessy format: the one seed facing the three seed and the two seed against the four seed. In addition, the pitching distance increased from 40 to 42 feet during the midseason. Nevertheless, the pitchers continued to dominate the league as an all-time record eight no-hitters were recorded in the season. Rockford ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Season
The 1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the second season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expanded in its second year of existence by adding two franchises to the original four-team format. At this point, the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The number of games in the schedule also increased to 118, while the final Scholarship Series faced first-half winner Kenosha against Milwaukee, second-half champ, in a Best of Seven Series. In that season the ball was decreased in size from 12 inches to 11½ inches. In addition, the base paths were lengthened to 68 feet. As a result, batting averages decreased to low .200 as pitching continued to dominate for second straight season. No batters surpassed the .300 mark, with South Bend's Betsy Jochum collecting the highest average at .296. Once again Kenosha's Helen Nicol led all pitchers in earned run average, turning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claire Schillace
Claire Joan Schillace (March 29, 1921 – January 17, 1999) was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 128 lb., she batted right-handed and threw left-handed. AAGPBL career A native of Melrose Park, Illinois, Schillace attended Northern Illinois University. She played softball in a Chicago league and was a member of the Illinois state and Chicago city championship teams. She impressed the AAGPBL scouts with her speedy baserunning and fielding skills. After receiving a tryout invitation, she became one of the first four players signed by the league for its inaugural season, joining Ann Harnett, Shirley Jameson and Edythe Perlick. Schillace spent four years in the league, all with the Racine Belles. She had an outstanding rookie season, hitting a career-high .251 average, being selected to the All-Star Team, and as member of the 1943 Belles Championship Team. During her career, she posted a .202 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
