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Janice O'Hara
Janice Winifred O'Hara ´Jenny×´(November 30, 1918 – March 7, 2001) was a pitcher and utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 122 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Janice O'Hara was one of the sixty original players to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for its inaugural season. A valuable and versatile player, she had an array of pitches that kept the hitters guessing, and also played several positions competently during her seven years in the league. Born in Beardstown, Illinois, O'Hara started playing organized softball in Springfield in her teen years, until AAGPBL scout Eddie Stumpf interviewed her and sent her to the final tryout at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In the process, she signed a contract and joined the Kenosha Comets, playing for them her entire career in the league. Comets manager Josh Billings used O'Hara at first base and she hit a respectable .187 average and poste ... [...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] |
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error) nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. A triple is sometimes called a "three-bagger" or "three-base hit". For statistical and scorekeeping purposes it is denoted by 3B. Triples have become somewhat rare in Major League Baseball, less common than both the double and the home run. This is because it requires a ball to be hit solidly to a distant part of the field (ordinarily a line drive or fly ball near the foul line closest to right field), or the ball to take an irregular bounce in the outfield, usually against the wall, away from a fielder. It also requires the batter's team to have a good strategic reason for wanting the batter on third base, as a stand-up double is sufficient to put the batter in scoring position and there will often be little strategic advantage to risk being tagged out whilst tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knuckleball
A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This change adds a deflecting force to the baseball, making it difficult for batters to hit but also difficult for pitchers to control and catchers to catch; umpires are challenged as well, as the ball's irregular motion through the air makes it harder to call balls and strikes.Hoffman, Benjamin"Not So Easy on the Eyes"''New York Times'' (June 23, 2012) A pitcher who throws knuckleballs is known as a knuckleballer. Origins The origins of the knuckleball are unclear. Toad Ramsey of the Louisville Colonels in the old American Association—his pitch likely resembled the knuckle curve—and Eddie Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox, who in 1908 was nicknamed "Knuckles", are two possible creators of the pitch. Other accounts attribute the pitch's creat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball, power curveball, and the knuckle curve. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to pitcher. The expression "to throw a curveball" essentially translates to introducing a significant deviation to a preceding concept. Grip and action The curveball is gripped much like a cup or drinking glass is held. The pitcher places the middle finger on and parallel to one of the long seams, and the thumb just behind the seam on the opposite side of the ball such that if looking from the top down, the hand should form a "C shape" with the horseshoe pointing in towards the palm following the contour of the thumb. The index finger is placed alongside the middle finger, and the other two extran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thrown fastballs at speeds of (officially) and up to (unofficially). Pitchers who throw more slowly can put movement on the ball, or throw it on the outside of home plate where batters can't easily reach it. Fastballs are usually thrown with backspin, so that the Magnus effect creates an upward force on the ball. This causes it to fall less rapidly than expected, and sometimes causes an optical illusion often called a rising fastball. Although it is impossible for a human to throw a baseball fast enough and with enough backspin for the ball to actually rise, to the batter the pitch seems to rise due to the unexpected lack of natural drop on the pitch. A straight pitch is achieved by gripping the ball with the fingers across the wide part o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Shinners
Ralph Peter Shinners (October 4, 1895 – July 23, 1962) was a centerfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1922 through 1925 for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. Listed at , 180 lb, Shinners batted and threw right-handed. Brief profile Born in Monches, Wisconsin, Shinners is the one of three major league players to come out of the Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the others being Mike Jurewicz and Skip Lockwood, both of whom studied at Marquette but never played for the university). He enjoyed a solid career in the Minor leagues, hitting a .300 batting average or more in seven out of nine possible seasons. Shinners was used sparingly in the major leagues for three seasons, but he never was able to fulfill the potential that he showed in the minors. Professional career Shinners started his professional career in 1920 with the American Association Indianapolis Indians, playing for them two years. In 1921 he fairly blazed in the league ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Third Base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5. Third base is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman is often the infielder who stands closest to the batter—roughly 90–120 feet away, but even closer if a bunt is expected. Most right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. A third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions to catch batted balls whose speed can exceed . The third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base or quick ones to second base to start a double play. As with middle infielders, right-handed throwing players are standard at the position because they do not need to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and softball In baseball, softball and cricket, fielders in the outfield have more ground to cover than infielders, but also more time before the ball reaches them. Catches are most likely to arise from shots that have been 'skied' (in cricket) or 'popped ' (in baseball and softball). If a catch is not possible (for example, the ball has bounced, or is rolling or skidding across the turf) the fielder will attempt to head off, pick up and throw in the ball as quickly as possible to reduce the distance the runners can run and hopefully to effect a run out (cricket) or tag out (baseball and softball). In cricket, where the ball is far more likely to stay low against the ground than in baseball or softball, the condition of the turf has a major ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home Run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is usually achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or hitting either foul pole) without the ball touching the field. Far less common is the "inside-the-park" home run where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field. When a home run is scored, the batter is credited with a hit and a run scored, and a run batted in ( RBI) for each runner that scores, including himself. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit and a run, with additional runs charged for each runner that scores other than the batter. Home runs are among the most popular aspects of baseball and, as a result, prolific home run hitters are usually the most popular among fans and consequently th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stolen Base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out at the next base, but the official scorer rules on the question of credit or blame for the advance under Rule 10 (Rules of Scoring) of the MLB's Official Rules. A stolen base most often occurs when a base runner advances to the next base while the pitcher is pitching the ball to home plate. Successful base stealers are not only fast but have good base-running instincts and timing. Background Ned Cuthbert, playing for the Philadelphia Keystones in either 1863 or 1865, was the first player to steal a base in a baseball game, although the term ''stolen base'' was not used until 1870. For a time in the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player. For example, if a ru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marty McManus
Martin Joseph McManus (March 14, 1900 – February 18, 1966) was an American baseball player and manager. A native of Chicago, Illinois, McManus spent two years in the United States Army before beginning his professional baseball career in 1920. He played professional baseball for 22 years from 1920 to 1941, including 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a second baseman (927 games) and third baseman (725 games) for the St. Louis Browns (1920-1926), Detroit Tigers (1927-1931), Boston Red Sox (1931-1933), and Boston Braves (1934). He had four seasons in which he compiled a batting average above .300, including a .333 average in 1923 and a .320 average in 1930. He led the American League with 23 stolen bases in 1930 and with 44 doubles in 1925. In 15 major league seasons, he compiled a .289 batting average (1,926-for-6,660) with 1,008 runs scored, 401 doubles and 88 triples. McManus also served as a manager or player-manager with several baseball teams, beginn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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