Donna Jean Cook �Cookie״(May 24, 1928 – October 16, 2006) 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

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

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 , 121 lb., she batted

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

and threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. Donna Cook played for eight different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in a span of nine years. She moved around for a while, as the league usually shifted players as needed to help some teams stay afloat. Born in

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

, Donna was one of twelve children into the family of Sidney and Daisy (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Johnson) Cook. She played five years of organized

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

before joining the league with her hometown team, just days after graduating from

Muskegon Heights High School Muskegon Heights Academy High School is a public charter high school located in Muskegon Heights, Michigan Muskegon Heights is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,856 at the 2010 census. Geography Acc ...

. In 1946 Cook opened at

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

for 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 ...

. She had a .156

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

in 78 games. The next year she was switched to pitcher and became a proven starter, turning in a 14–8 record with a sparkling 1.42

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 ...

, as the Lassies posted a 69‑43 record en route to win the regular season championship in a close pennant race. Muskegon, managed by

Bill Wambsganss William Adolf Wambsganss (March 19, 1894 – December 8, 1985) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 in baseball, 1914 through 1926 in baseball, 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia ...

, nailed down the victory with two days remaining on the schedule, though the team was eliminated in the playoffs by a strong

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Fi ...

squad. During a stretch in the season, Cook won four games in a week and belted two

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 i ...

s in a game. In addition, she ended fourth in the league for the best

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(.636) and tenth in ERA.1947 Muskegon Lassies
Retrieved 2019-03-28. Cook started 1948 with Muskegon, but was traded to the

Chicago Colleens The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 to 1951, evolving into a development team. The team was based Chicago, Illinois and played their home gam ...

in the midseason and ended the year with 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 ...

, which took a toll on her performance, dropping to a 4–9 record with a 4.03 ERA. She made a successful comeback for the Daisies in 1949, evening her record at 9–9 with a 1.94 ERA in 22 pitching appearances. Unfortunately, she injured a knee toward the end of the season, which affected her for the rest of her career.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League She slumped considerably for the next five years, pitching in only 32 games with 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 ...

(1950),

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encom ...

/ Muskegon Belles (1951–1953),

South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Fi ...

(1953) and

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 ...

(1954). Her younger sister,

Doris Cook Doris Cook �Little Cookie״(born June 23, 1931) is a former pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 130 lb., she batted right-handed and threw left-handed. Doris C ...

, also played in the league. The sisters came together in South Bend. After baseball Cook worked as a bank teller at

Comerica Bank Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helpin ...

in Muskegon during 25 years. She also had three surgeries on her injured knee. Since 1988 she is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based 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 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She also was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame along with her sister Doris in 1993. Donna Cook died in 2006 in

North Muskegon, Michigan North Muskegon is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,786 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Dem ...

, at the age of 79.

Career statistics

Pitching Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Donna All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Muskegon Lassies players Chicago Colleens players Fort Wayne Daisies players Grand Rapids Chicks players Battle Creek Belles players South Bend Blue Sox players Rockford Peaches players Baseball players from Michigan Sportspeople from Muskegon, Michigan 1928 births 2006 deaths Muskegon Belles players 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women