pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
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 ...
. She batted and threw right handed. After being married she played under the name of Migdalia Jinright.
Born in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Isabel Alvarez (1949–1954), Isora del Castillo (1949–1951), Luisa Gallegos (1948–1949), Mirtha Marrero (1948–1953), Gloria Ruiz (1948–1949) and Zonia Vialat (1948).
The first AAGPBL
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
outside the United States was held in 1947 in Havana, Cuba, as part of a plan to create an International League of Girls Baseball. All the eight AAGPBL teams played exhibition games at
Estadio Latinoamericano
The Estadio Latinoamericano (English: ''Latin American Stadium'') is a stadium in Havana, Cuba. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the third largest baseball stadium in the world by capacity. The stadium, a spacious pitchers' park with ...
. On the other hand, the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
trained in the Cuban capital because
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
, who would be the first
Afro-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
to play in the Major Leagues, was training with the Dodgers for the first time. By then, city ordinances in
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...
, where the Dodgers normally trained, prevented blacks and whites players from competing on the same field against each other. Notably, newspaper stories from Havana indicate that the All-American girls drew larger crowds for their games than did the Dodgers. At this time, the six Cuban girls were recruited to play in the AAGPBL. That season the league made the transition from underhand to full sidearm pitching.
Pérez entered the league in 1948 with the Chicago Colleens, playing for them one year before joining 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 playe ...
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 to 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois.
The Peaches were one of 2 teams to p ...
(1952–1954). She had a diverse repertoire of pitches, which included a strong
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...
, a
curve
In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight.
Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...
, and a
change
Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...
that often had hitters way out in front, but the key was always be in control of her pitches. When the ball-strike count favored her, she was solid and concentrated better. When she was behind, she was vulnerable and created many of her own problems because she had to sacrifice some velocity for control. In addition, she was plagued by a shortage of run support for much of her career while pitching for awful teams.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
In 1951, Pérez posted a 13–16 record and a 3.00
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 32 pitching appearances for the Belles, while leading the league in
complete game
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 ...
s (26),
innings pitched
In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...
(237) and
hits allowed In Baseball statistics, hits allowed (HA) signifies the total number of hits allowed by a pitcher.
Definition
A hit occurs when a batter strikes the baseball into fair territory and reaches base without doing so via an error or a fielder's choice ...
(241). The next season she went 11–12 with a 2.34 ERA in a combined action between Battle Creek and Rockford, leading the league in
games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of ...
(33) and ranking sixth in innings pitched (208).
Pérez had mixed results in the 1953 season, going 12–14 for Racine though her 2.25 ERA was the ninth best in the league. She also finished eighth in innings pitched (220) and tied for eighth in complete games (20). Her career highlight came on August 10 of that year, when she hurled a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
Pepper Paire
Lavone A. "Pepper" Paire Davis (May 29, 1924 – February 2, 2013) was a baseball catcher and infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
...
and Joanne Weaver, among others.''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book''
In 1954, during what turned out to be the final season of the league, Pérez went 11–11 in 24 games and ended third in innings pitched (164), eighth in complete games (15) and tenth in ERA (3.73), while tying for sixth in wins.
Pérez compiled a 57–70 record in 155 games, while her 2.73 career ERA ranks her twenty-second in the all-time list of AAGPBL pitchers with at least 1,000 innings of work. She also went 1–3 with a 3.00 ERA in five playoff games (two years).
In 1988, Pérez 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 a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
in
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and the 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 ...
, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Another tribute to the AAGPBL players came with the 1992 film ''
A League of Their Own
''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...
'', featuring
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
,
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...
and
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, and directed by filmmaker
Penny Marshall
Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for ...
. She currently lives in
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...