Jean Marlowe ��Mal″ or ″Jeanie″(December 28, 1929 – April 16, 2007) 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

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

who played 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 ...

between the and seasons. Listed a , 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Her last name is really Malanoski, but she acquired her last name in the league as a result of a misspelling. Jean Marlowe went on to a six-season career in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, primarily as a pitcher, while also seeing action 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 ...

and

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

, as well at the

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 ...

. She posted a 56–79 record with a solid 3.18

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 ...

in 1075

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

, a pretty good performance considering she played for most of her career for teams with bad defense, low run support and losing records. She was a member of the champion team in her last season, though she did not play in the series. Born in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, Jean was the daughter of Stanley and Josephine (

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 ...

Kafchinski) Malanoski. At an early age, she learned to play

sandlot ball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is often less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. History and ...

with the backing of her father and uncle, who were professional ballplayers. She graduated from Scranton Central High School and later studied at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

. Marlowe learned about the league through a local newspaper and went to

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in T ...

for a tryout with around 200 other girls. She tried out as an infielder and outfielder, but the league's trainers liked her strong throwing arm and converted her into a pitcher.''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League'' Marlowe joined the AAGPBL in 1948 with the

Springfield Sallies The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who were members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1948 season and became a development team. The Sallies were based in Springfield, Illinois and played ...

. The Sallies inaugural season was nothing to write about. The team posted the worst record of the circuit, going 41–84 in the Western Division, getting roughed up as a last-place expansion club, ending 35 games out of the first place

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 ...

. At age nineteen, Marlowe became a stalwart of the helpless Sallies. She went 7–22 in 31 pitching appearances and led the league in losses, despite posting a 3.66 ERA.''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' She opened 1949 with the

Kenosha Comets Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at List of defunct amusement parks#Wisc ...

, playing regularly at outfield and pitching sporadically. Marlowe hit a .220

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in a career-high 98 games, driving in 17 runs and

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

25 times while

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16 bases. She also compiled a 7–7 pitching record and improved her ERA to 2.67 in 17 games. Her most productive season came in 1951, when she posted a 12–12 record in 28 games with career numbers in wins, ERA (2.62) and

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 (115), ending fourth for the most strikeouts, sixth in

(211) and tied for sixth in

complete games In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

(21). Marlowe joined the

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 the ...

in 1952. That season she batted a .291 average and three

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, both career numbers, and matched her season-high with 12 wins, though she was credited with 15 losses. She also compiled a 3.24 ERA and was the best fielding pitcher without an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

committed in 172 innings of work. She did not play in 1953 but returned to Kalamazoo in 1954, during what turned out to be the league's final season. She went 8–12 with a 4.78 ERA in 23 pitching appearances. After the league folded, Marlowe continued to play softball and worked for B.F. Goodrich Company. She later took a job with the Schott Glass Technologies and worked there until her retirement in 1987. Marlowe is 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 rather than any individual personality. In 2002, she was among four baseball personalities to be inducted in the

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

. The others were

Tom O'Malley Thomas Patrick O'Malley (born December 25, 1960) is a former Major League baseball player born in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in Montoursville, Pennsylvania in the United States. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Balt ...

Ed Walsh Edward Augustine "Big Ed" Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his car ...

and

Bob Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Entertainment Film * Robert Williams (actor, born 1894) (1894–1931), American stage and film actor * Robert B. Williams (actor) (1904–1978), American film actor * R. J. Williams (born ...

.Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
/ref> Jean Marlowe died in 2007, at age 77, at th
Lackawanna County Health Care Center
in

Olyphant, Pennsylvania Olyphant is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is northeast of downtown Scranton, on the Lackawanna River in the heart of the anthracite region of the state. Its main source of employment was the mining and shipping o ...

Career statistics

Pitching Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlowe, Jean All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Scranton, Pennsylvania University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 1929 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women