Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (born August 8, 1927) was a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who played from through for three teams of 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 ...

. Callow was a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and threw right-handed. She was born in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

.Eleanor Callow
''

''. Retrieved 2019-04-11.

Women in baseball

Women have been playing professional baseball since the early 1930s, when Chattanooga Lookouts

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 ...

Jackie Mitchell Virne Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell Gilbert (August 29, 1913 – January 7, 1987) was one of the first female pitchers in professional baseball history. She was 17 years old when she pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts Class AA minor league b ...

struck out 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 denot ...

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

and

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...

in succession, during an exhibition game against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in 1931. The AAGPBL was a league that began to operate in 1943 in cities located on or near

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. The main promoter was

Philip K. Wrigley Philip Knight Wrigley (December 5, 1894 – April 12, 1977), often called P. K. Wrigley, was an American chewing gum manufacturer and a Major League Baseball executive, inheriting both of those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant fa ...

, owner of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, who worried about the viability of male professional baseball players during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

decided to establish an alternate attraction. The league folded after the end of the 1954 season. Over the years the rules, equipment, and style of play in the league changed from

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 ...

to baseball (''e.g.'', the size of the ball at the beginning was 12" in circumference, but at the end it was 9"). Eleven girls from Manitoba played in the league, including Callow. All of them received honorary inductions into the

National 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-r ...

(1988), the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (1998), and th
Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame
(1998).

Overview profile

During her career, Callow was among the most feared sluggers of the AAGPBL. A four-time All-Star, she was the

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career bat ...

equivalent of the AAGPBL, accumulating more

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 and triples than any other player in league history. A rare combination of power, speed, patience at the plate and fielding in a multiskilled package, she also overwhelmed opposite teams with her speed, by drawing walks,

stealing Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

bases, and catching difficult fly balls.

AAGPBL career

Callow entered the AAGPBL in 1947 with 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 at ...

, playing for them during her

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season before joining the Chicago Colleens expansion team for a small time in 1948. She was traded to 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 ...

during the midseason and remained with them for the rest of her career, including in three consecutive championship titles (1948-'50) and also in the team's last ever game in 1954. Beginning in 1948, Callow led the league in triples for four straight years and ended up with 60 in her career. She started off slow in the home run category with none during her rookie season, but by the rest of her eight years career she belted 55 to top the all-time list. In 1948, Callow ended with a .251 batting average, but tied for second in home runs (6) and led for the first time the league in triples (15). She repeated as the leader in triples in 1949 (11) and 1950 (11). In 1951 she gained her first selection for the All-Star Team, after recording career-highs in average (.326), runs (66),

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 ...

(84),

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(124), doubles (16),

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 ...

s (40), total bases (172) and walks (49); claimed her fourth triple title in a row, had the best

fielding percentage 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, div ...

of any outfielder, and tied with Fort Wayne Daisies'

Betty Foss Betty "Fossey" Weaver-Foss (May 10, 1929 – February 8, 1998) was an infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-hand ...

and teammate Alice Pollitt in home runs (4). In 1952 Callow was unable to repeat the success of the previous season. Nevertheless, she finished third in home runs (8), fourth in triples (6), fifth in total bases (151), eight in runs (56), ninth in RBI (49), and still made the All-Star Team. But she rebounded in 1953, hitting .303 (3rd league-best) with eight home runs (2nd) and 58 RBI (7th). She also scored 58 runs (8th) and stole 37 bases (8th), while making the All-Star Team for the third time. By the time of her last season, Callow said goodbye in a really meaningful way by hitting .324 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 273 at-bats. In addition, she joined Joanne Weaver as the only two AAGPBL players to reach the 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases plateaus in the same season. She is also one of five players to collect 400 or more career-RBI, ranking third (407) behind Dorothy Schroeder (431) and Inez Voyce (422).

Elizabeth Mahon Elizabeth B. Mahon (November 18, 1919 – September 6, 2001) was an American outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 135 lb., Mahon batted and threw right-handed. She was born i ...

and Pepper Paire recorded exactly 400 RBIs. The league ceased operations shortly after Callow's 27th birthday. Considering she had only 2,765 at-bats in her abbreviated career (Schroeder had 4,129 at-bats), Callow may have been the greatest clutch hitter in AAGPBL history.

Career statistics

Batting

Fielding

Fact

* In

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, filmmaker

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...

premiered her

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' A League of Their Own'', which was a fictionalized account of activities in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Starring Geena Davis,

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Lori Petty Lori Petty (born October 14, 1963) is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She is noted for her roles in the films ''Point Break'' (1991), ''A League of Their Own'' (1992), ''Free Willy '' (1993), and the title role in ''Tank Girl'' ...

and Rosie O'Donnell, this film brought a rejuvenated interest to the extinct AAGPBL. Many baseball historians consider the league's players as pioneers of an important movement which has eventually brought women's athletics to the prominent place it occupies in the 21st century.

Sources

* ''Encyclopedia of women and baseball'' - Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland and Co., 2006. Format: Paperback, 438pp. Language: English. * ''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' - W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland and Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English.

References

External links

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Website

Eleanor Callow
at

SABR The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

(Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Callow, Eleanor All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Peoria Redwings players Chicago Colleens players Rockford Peaches players Canadian baseball players Sportspeople from Winnipeg 1927 births Baseball people from Manitoba 21st-century American women