The Milwaukee Chicks were a women's professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team which 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 ...

during the season. They were managed by

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 through 1 ...

, former star player for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and

Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

and a future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

. They were also known colloquially as the "Brewettes", after the city's established baseball team, and the "Schnitts" (a term for glass of beer served half-full).

History

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

the AAGPBL added the Milwaukee Chicks and 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 ...

to the league's roster. The Chicks were a well balanced squad that counted with talented players as

Josephine Kabick Josephine Kabick 'Jo''(March 27, 1922 – February 8, 1978) was an American female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 142 lb., Kabick batted and threw right-handed. She was ...

Merle Keagle Merle Patricia Keagle (March 21, 1923 – November 12, 1960) was an American center fielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 2", 144 lb., she batted and threw right-ha ...

Connie Wisniewski Constance Wisniewski (Wiśniewski) (February 18, 1922 – May 4, 1995) was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 147 lb., she batted left-handed an ...

and

Alma Ziegler Alma Ziegler (January 9, 1918 – May 30, 2005) was an infielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 125 lb., Ziegler batted and threw right-handed. Alma Ziegler was one ...

. With Max Carey at the helm, the Chicks led the league in

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

(492),

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 ...

(.207), stolen bases (739) and tied for first in

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 (12). The best offensive support came from Keagle, who hit .264 with 47

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 ...

, and led the AAGPBL hitters with seven

s and 145

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

. The one-two pitching staff was led by Kabick, who posted a 26–19 record for a .578

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

and topped the league in wins and

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 ...

(366), while Wisniewski went 23-10 (.697) with a 2.23

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 ...

. A daring base runner, Ziegler established at second base as a flashy defender who made outstandings plays routinely, being considered the ''spark plug'' of the team. 2019 MilwaukeeChicksDay

The Chicks went 30–26 in the first half of the year, but dominated the second half (40-19) and had the best overall record (70-45). They then went on to win the Championship Title, beating 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 ...

in the postseason. During the seven-game series Wisniewski went 4–1 with a 0.40 ERA in five complete games, including two

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s, two one-run games and one two-run game, winning three of four matchups with Kenosha's

Helen Nicol Helen Nicol (later Fox; May 9, 1920 – July 25, 2021) was a Canadian-American baseball pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at , , Nicol batted and threw right-handed. She was ...

, who finished with a 17–11 mark (.607) and had led the league with a minuscule 0.93 ERA. Although the Chicks won the AAGPBL championship title, they had no local financial backing and could not compete with the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. In fact, the Chicks were forced to play all seven games of the series at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium because the Brewers were using the

Borchert Field Borchert Field was a baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The home field for several professional baseball clubs from 1888 through 1952, it became obsolete after the construction of County Stadium in 1953 and was demolished l ...

in Milwaukee. In addition, the high ticket prices charged for AAGPBL games failed to encourage significant fan support. Due to lack of community support and skepticism of journalists, the Chicks moved to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

prior to the 1945 season. On August 27, 2000, the surviving Chicks were honored by the

before a game against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

. The Brewers celebrated the Chicks' 75th Anniversary in 2019 with a special theme night, including a reproduction 1944 baseball cap giveaway. Mayor Tom Barrett declared the same day, June 29, 2019 as "The Milwaukee Chicks Day" throughout the city of Milwaukee. Tributes to the club may be found in

American Family Field American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...

All-time roster

* Vivian Anderson Third base *

Kay Blumetta Catherine Kay Blumetta 'Swish''(May 1, 1923 – April 25, 1997) was a utility who played for six different clubs in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at , 150 lb., she batted and threw righ ...

Outfield / First base *

Manager *

Clara Cook Clara Ruth Cook �Babe״(June 19, 1921 – July 23, 1996) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 130 lb., she batted and threw left-handed. A fastpitch left hander, Clara ...

Pitcher * Gladys Davis Shortstop / Outfield *

Thelma Eisen Thelma "Tiby" Eisen (May 11, 1922 – May 11, 2014) was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Thelma Eisen was among the t ...

Outfield *

Josephine Figlo Josephine Gill (née Figlo; April 9, 1923 – August 26, 2011) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ballplayer. Listed at 5' 3", 140 lb., she batted and threw right handed.Olga Grant Outfield * Dottie Hunter Chaperon *

Pitcher *

Marie Kazmierczak Marie Kazmierczak (February 14, 1920 – January 15, 2000) was an American fourth outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1944 season. Listed at , 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.''The W ...

Outfield *

Outfield / Third base/ Pitcher * Dolores Klosowski First base / Pitcher *

Dorothy Maguire Dorothy Maguire (November 21, 1918 – August 2, 1981) was a catcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Maguire batted and threw right-handed. She also played under the name of Doroth ...

Catcher / Outfield *

Vickie Panos Victoria Panos (March 20, 1920 – April 29, 1986) was Canadian baseball player who played as an outfielder for two different teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 120 lb., Panos batted left-handed a ...

Outfield *

Ernestine Petras Ernestine Petras �Teeny״(October 22, 1924 – November 20, 2017) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 125 lb., Petras batted and threw right-handed. She was born in ...

Shortstop *

LaFerne Price La Ferne Ellis Price (January 26, 1926 – May 27, 2016) was an infielder and pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season, 1944 season. Price bat ...

Infield / Pitcher * Shirley Schulze Outfield * Mary Shastal Second base * Emily Stevenson Catcher / Outfield * Doris Tetzlaff Third base *

Viola Thompson Viola Thompson ''Griffin(January 2, 1922 – December 31, 2017) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at , , she batted and threw left-handed. A hard-throwing, underhand ...

Pitcher *

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 ...

First base / Catcher / Outfield *

Pitcher / Outfield *

Sylvia Wronski Sylvia Wronski traka (December 2, 1924 – November 28, 1997) was a pitcher who played for parts of two seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A member of ...

Pitcher *

Second base / Pitcher / Shortstop

''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' –

W.C. Madden W.C. Madden is a retired journalist, teacher and author who has written multiple books about baseball, including two about the AAGPBL. He has also written about the Western League and the College World Series. While much of his work is based on ba ...

. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Hardcover, 294pp.

References

{{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1944 establishments in Wisconsin 1944 disestablishments in Wisconsin Baseball teams established in 1944 Baseball teams disestablished in 1944 Defunct baseball teams in Wisconsin Sports in Milwaukee Baseball in Milwaukee Women's sports in Wisconsin