Elaine Roth (January 17, 1929 – May 25, 2007) was a female

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 ...

. She batted and threw right-handed. A native of

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined sta ...

, Elaine Roth joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with her twin sister Eilaine in 1948, and they played together for three seasons as the ''dynamic duo'' (E and I). Roth spent her career as a

, playing for the

Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games a ...

for two years, before joining the South Bend Blue Sox (1950) and

Kalamazoo Lassies The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at th ...

(1951–1954). A spot starter and dependable

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

, she posted a career record of 45–69 and was a member of the Champion Team during what turned out to be the league's final 1954 season. In the first round of the playoffs, fourth-place Kalamazoo surprised second-place South Bend in three games. Pitcher

Gloria Cordes Gloria Cordes Elliott (September 21, 1931 – March 13, 2018) was a starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Overview pro ...

hurled and lost the opener, but Nancy Warren and Roth won games two and three, respectively. In the final series, the inspired Lassies defeated the favored

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 five games. Roth was a key contributor in Game 2, pitching 8⅔ innings of relief. Roth died in

Springfield, Michigan :''There are also two Springfield Townships in Michigan.'' Springfield is a city in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is an enclave of the city of Battle Creek. The population was 5,260 at the 2010 census. Parks Begg Park Spring ...

, at the age of 78.

Pitching statistics

''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Elaine All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Indiana People from Michigan City, Indiana Sportspeople from Indiana 1929 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American people 21st-century American women