Alva Jo Fischer (August 26, 1926 – August 13, 1973) was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

who played from through in the

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 Uni ...

. Listed at , 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.Alva Jo Fischer – Biography / Obituary
. ''

''. Retrieved 2019-04-12. Fischer was born in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and played for the all-state team at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

in 1938. She entered the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1945 with the

Rockford Peaches The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois. The Peaches were one of two teams to pla ...

, playing for them one year before joining the

Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season, representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. History The 1946 Muskegon Lassies p ...

for the rest of her five-year career. Nicknamed ״Tex״ by her teammates, Fischer was used primarily as a pitcher, but later became a highly competent shortstop as well. In her rookie season, Fischer posted a 4–7 record with a 3.77

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and 98 innings of work in 16 pitching appearances. The Peaches, managed by

Bill Allington William Baird Allington (October 26, 1903 – August 17, 1966) was an American minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" and 160 pounds, Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan. ...

, won the regular season title with a 67–43 mark. They increased their dominance during the postseason, when defeated the

Grand Rapids Chicks The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953. History The franchise ...

in the best-of-five first round, three to one games, and claimed the championship by winning the

Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...

in the best-of-seven series, four to one games. In the final series, Fischer hurled three

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

innings of

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book When Fischer joined the expansion Lassies in 1946, the team's manager

Buzz Boyle Ralph Francis "Buzz" Boyle (February 9, 1908 – November 12, 1978) was a professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1929 through 1935. He played for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1934, hi ...

experimented with her at shortstop, where she was able to use her great throwing arm while sharing duties with

Dorothy Stolze Dorothy Stolze 'Dottie''(May 1, 1923 – July 19, 2003) was a second basewoman who played from through for four teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 129 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Care ...

. She also contributed with an 11–16 pitching record and a 2.77 ERA in 29 games. Fischer became the everyday shortstop for Muskegon in 1947. While adapting to her new role, Fischer did not pitch during the season. She committed 58 errors in 586

chances Chances may refer to: * ''Chances'' (TV series), an Australian soap opera * ''Chances'' (Philippine TV series), a prime-time soap opera * '' Chances: The Women of Magdalene'', a 2006 documentary film * ''Chances'' (novel), a 1981 novel by Jac ...

for a poor .901

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divi ...

, and batted only .202 in 112 games. Muskegon clinched the championship with two days remaining on the regular schedule and advanced to the postseason, only to be defeated in the best-of-five first round by Racine, three games to one. In 1948 Fischer improved at shortstop, showing excellent range and lowering her error rate (36) compared to the previous year, raising her fielding average to .917. She also returned to pitch and went 9–7 with a 1.47 ERA in 21 appearances, while hitting .252 with 31 runs and 36

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

in 107 games. In addition, her ERA was the ninth best in the league. Muskegon was upset by Fort Wayne in the best-of-five first round, three to two games. Fischer was charged with one of the losses, after allowing one run and five hits in six innings of work. Fischer enjoyed a career year in 1949, her last season, when she became the best shortstop in the league with a .972 average and only 23 errors in 481 fielding chances while turning in 48

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s. She batted only .198 in 109 games, but posted a 10–7 record with a 1.78 ERA and a career-high 86

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 25 games pitched, ending eight for the most strikeouts. Muskegon swept Kenosha in the first round, two to zero games, but lost the second round to Grand Rapids, three to zero games. Fischer

Kenosha with a four-hit, 3–0 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. She then labored through 13 innings to Grand Rapids in the next step, allowing twelve hits and four earned runs, but did not have a decision. In a five-year career, Fischer posted a 34–37 record and a 2.40 ERA in 91 pitching appearances, while hitting a .223 average with 91 runs and 131 RBI in 345 games. As a fielder, she committed only 117 errors in 1,500 chances for a solid .922 average. In seven postseason games, she went 1–1 with a 1.20 ERA and hit .125 (6-for-48) in 13 games. Fischer died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

, at the age of 47. Fifteen years after her death, she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display at the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

, which was unveiled in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Alva Jo Fischer Softball Complex in San Antonio was named after her in 1975. The San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame added her in 1998, and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame followed suit in 2006.

Career statistics

Pitching Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Alva Jo All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Rockford Peaches players Muskegon Lassies players Baseball players from San Antonio Deaths from leukemia 1926 births 1973 deaths Deaths from cancer in Texas 20th-century American women 20th-century American people