Josephine "Jo" Hasham (November 10, 1924 – October 15, 2008) 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 ...

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 ...

. Hasham batted right-handed and threw left-handed.Josephine Hasham – Profile / Obituary
''

''. Retrieved 2019-04-14. A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Hasham spent seven years in the AAGPBL, pitching in 179 games while collecting a 3.15 career

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 ...

. She never once played for a pennant-winning team, which is one reason for her losing record of 58–88. Eventually, she played at outfield and was used in pinch-hitting duties to take advantage of her sturdy bat. Hasham debuted in 1948, but did not win a game while dividing her playing time between 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 ...

and 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 ...

. She posted a solid 2.14 ERA in 63

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 ...

, though she finished with a 0–6 record in ten games. Hasham joined the

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 ...

in 1949, when she enjoyed her best career season. She earned the respect of Blue Sox

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Dave Bancroft David James Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robi ...

, who included her in a pitching staff headed by Jean Faut,

Ruth Williams Ruth Williams ''Heverly(February 12, 1926 – February 10, 2005) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 139 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Ruth Williams debuted ...

, Lillian Faralla and

Louise Arnold Louise Arnold is an English writer of Children's literature. Her published works to date include the Grey Arthur series of novels. Biography Personal life Arnold was born in Morden, Surrey. She wrote her first poem aged four, and lived in B ...

. Hasham collected a 12–8 record and a 2.02 ERA in 23 decisions, probably inspired by her pitching teammates and a strong offensive support from

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 ...

Betty Whiting Elizabeth Jane Whiting (November 13, 1925 – February 10, 1967) was a utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 147 lb., Whiting batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Ida, Mich ...

Senaida Wirth Senaida Wirth 'Shu-Shu''(October 4, 1926 – May 20, 1967) was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 114 lb., Wirth batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Tampa, Florida. Senaida ...

Betty Wagoner Betty Ann Wagoner (July 15, 1930 – May 9, 2006) was an American baseball player. She was a right fielder and pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 110 lb., she batt ...

and Rita Briggs. South Bend tied 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 ...

for first place with a record of 75–36. Both teams played later a best-of-seven-series, which Rockford swept.''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. But Hasham suffered a nightmare career after she came back to Peoria. In 1950 she went 8–19 with a 3.38 ERA while leading the league in losses. She improved in 1951, after going 13–15 with a 3.10 ERA. She pitched much better for the hapless

Battle Creek Belles The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Belles represented Battle Creek, Michigan, and played their home games at Bailey Park. Histor ...

in 1952, leading her team with a 12–14 mark and a 2.51 ERA, while ranking third in the league for the most innings pitched (222) behind

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 ...

' Rose Gacioch (259) and Fort Wayne Daisies'

Maxine Kline Maxine Kline (later Randall, September 16, 1929 – June 9, 2022) was a female starting pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , she batted and ...

(238). She also contributed as a hitter, going 35-for-158 for a .222

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 81 games, driving in 21 runs and scoring six times. Meanwhile, the Belles finished last with a 43–67 record, 24 games behind first place Fort Wayne. In 1953, Hasham had an 8–19 record with a .371 ERA for the last-place

Muskegon Belles The Muskegon Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1953 season. The Belles were based in Muskegon, Michigan. History The Muskegon Belles played in 1953, wi ...

, who ended with a 39–70 mark, 39½ games out of contention. For the second time she led the league in losses, but helped herself with the bat by hitting a .241 average (27-for-62) with one

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 ...

and 13 RBI in 62 games. Hasham was used sparingly by the Grand Rapids Chicks in 1954, during what turned out to be the AAGPBL final season. She played mainly as an outfielder, even though she often pitched in

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 ...

when needed. As a hitter, she posted a .349 average (15-for-43) with three homers and nine RBI in 37 games, and also had a 5–7 record with a 7.05 ERA while pitching in 20 games. Hasham, along with her former teammates and opponents, received their long overdue recognition when 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 ...

dedicated a permanent display to the

in 1988. After retiring, she moved to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

.Intelius.com – Josephine R. Wisham report
/ref>

Career statistics

Pitching
Batting
Fielding

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasham, Josephine All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Muskegon Lassies players Peoria Redwings players South Bend Blue Sox players Battle Creek Belles players Muskegon Belles players Rockford Peaches players Grand Rapids Chicks players Baseball players from Massachusetts Sportspeople from Waltham, Massachusetts Baseball players from Miami 1924 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women

Career statistics

See also

References