Lorraine Borg (July 18, 1923 – April 16, 2006) was a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

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 ...

. Listed at 5' 9", 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.Lorraine Aplin – Profile / Obituary
''

''. Retrieved 2019-04-11. Born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Lorraine Borg attended Southwest High School in Minneapolis and played sports in the local city league since the school had none for female athletes. She had her first contact with baseball at age nine while serving as a

batgirl Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in ...

for a team. She began playing organized softball at thirteen and two years later was promoted to the top park league. Though she started playing at

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 switched to catching and made a lasting impression.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League In 1944, she attended an AAGPBL tryout in Minneapolis and made the final cut. After that, she was invited to the spring training camp at

Peru, Illinois Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,896 at the 2020 census, down from 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peru and its twin city, LaSalle, make up ...

, and was assigned to her hometown team, the

Minneapolis Millerettes The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944 based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Millerettes played home games at Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor lea ...

, where she was managed by former big leaguer

Bubber Jonnard Clarence James "Bubber" Jonnard (November 23, 1897 – August 12, 1977) was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Chicago White Sox in 1920, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1922, the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926, 1927 and 1935, and the St ...

and split the catching duties with

Ruth Lessing Ruth Elizabeth "Tex" Lessing (August 15, 1925 – October 26, 2000) was an American female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Ruth ...

. ″Borge″, as her teammates dubbed her, enjoyed the league at first while meeting new people and ballplayers, although she did not like the long rides for road trips. She became homesick and felt tired and stressed, more so than she would ever expected to have dealt with. Just after the second trip, she left the club and never returned to the league. Her softball league did not exclude her because she had turned professional, and she was able to play locally and later coached for a few years. Borg married Eric Erickson in 1946 and they fostered two children. After being widowed, she remarried to Lou Aplin in 1954. The couple had three children. She then managed a restaurant and raised her five children. Widowed for a second time in 1989, she moved to

Baxter, Minnesota Baxter is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 7,610 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. Minnesota State Highways 210 and 371 are two of the main routes in the ci ...

, while enjoying her nine grandchildren and traveling more frequently. In 1988, Borg received further recognition when she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based 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 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Career statistics

Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borg, Lorraine All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Minneapolis Millerettes players Baseball players from Minneapolis 1923 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American people 21st-century American women