Kitty Burke was a nightclub entertainer from Cincinnati, Ohio who was noted for being the only female to ever attempt to bat in a Major League Baseball game, albeit unofficially. On July 31, 1935, Burke was sitting in the stands at

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) an ...

during a game between the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and the St. Louis Cardinals when she began heckling the players. In what may have been a publicity stunt, she then strode to the

on-deck circle In baseball, on-deck refers to being next in line to bat. In a professional game, the batter who is on deck traditionally waits in a location in the foul territory called the on-deck circle. Being ''on-deck'' only guarantees the batter will get a ...

, took Babe Herman's bat and proceeded to "pinch hit". She ended up grounding out to first base; however, the appearance was purely informal, and the umpires did not count this as an official

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

or out, as she was not on the roster. Allegedly, the Reds later gave her a uniform which she used while performing her act.

References

Cabaret People from Cincinnati Cincinnati Reds {{Ohio-bio-stub