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Women In Baseball
Records about women in baseball show that the fairer sex have been apart of the game of baseball for quite some time, the 1860s. "Baseball-Brainiac is an Excellent Source for Baseball History"
In fact, women's baseball teams have been around since 1866, when the all female Vassar College formed its team. In 1875 three men organized a women’s baseball club in Springfield, Illinois. They divided it into two teams, the Blondes and the Brunettes, and charged admission to see them play...it was clear the American people wouldn't mind paying to see more of women in baseball!
In the early 20th century, barnstorming teams known as “Bloomer Girls” were formed in parts of the U.S. and took on amateur and semi-professional teams that included both women and men.When women's baseball first came to be, it is thought it was largely an attempt to profit from the "novelty" of female players. In 1907, Alta Weiss from Ohio, pitched for the all-male (other than her) semi-professional Vermilion Independents baseball team. In 1931, Jackie Mitchell signed a contract with the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts. Mitchell pitched against the New York Yankees and struck out their two star players, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig!!...making most women in baseball all over the U.S extremely proud! Since then, in 1952, organized baseball formally banned women from signing professional contracts with men’s teams. This prohibition is still in effect today. When the possibility of the suspension of the 1943 Major League Baseball season arose, due to shortage of manpower (World War II), P.K. Wrigley received word from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that he wanted to do something to keep the baseball game going until the men got home from service. It when then that the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was founded with four teams; the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches, the Racine Belles and the Kenosha Comets (both of Wisconsin), and the South Bend (Indiana) Blue Sox. The amount of women in baseball sky-rocketed!
Rules encouraging the wearing of lipstick and long hair on the women in baseball were declared. Also the banning of wearing trousers off the field. Initially, the women played fast-pitch softball with a larger ball and underhand pitching. In 1948 overhand pitching was introduced, and eventually there was not much difference between men’s baseball and AAGPBL women's baseball. In fact the only difference was the size of the diamond (AAGPBL had a shorter distance between bases.)The women's baseball game evolved using men's baseball rules, but with 80 feet between bases, 55 feet for the pitching distance and only nine players on the field. The league received a great deal of national attention, but by the 1950s the televising of major league baseball led to less and less interest in the women’s teams, and the league finally folded in 1954. But the spirit of women in baseball was to live on, as on November 5, 1988, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League enshrined memorabilia in the Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York. Over 550 names are on a plaque in the exhibit named "Women In Baseball".
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Currently, there are around 40 youth and women's baseball teams in the United States that play in nine or so leagues and independent tournaments throughout the year.
Click here for more information on the history of baseball!!
Below is a timeline showing events that have accured in women's baseball history, from the dawn of women's baseball way back in 1866.
Alternatively, for the men's baseball history timeline please click here!!
Women's Baseball History Timeline
1866 — Women in baseball first started to appear, as the first organized women’s baseball teams in U.S. started at Vassar College.
1867 — The Dolly Vardens of Philadelphia made women in baseball history, as they became the first professional black women’s team.
1875 — First women’s baseball game for which fans were charged and the women in baseball were paid. The game was between the Blonde and the Brunette female baseball players in Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A. on September 11.
1876 — The Resolutes modeled after Vassar College team developed their own version of uniforms. These uniforms included; long sleeved shirts with frilled high neckline, embroidered belts, wide floor length skirts, high button shoes and broad striped caps.
1898 — Lizzie Arlington became one of the first women in baseball to sign a professional baseball contract; she signed with the Philadelphia Reserves.
1890's to 1935 — Women’s “Bloomer Girls” clubs barnstormed U.S. and played men’s town, semi-pro, and minor league teams; Bloomer teams had an average of 3 males on them; Rogers Hornsby and Smokey Joe Wood got their starts with Bloomer Girls teams, dressed as women.
1900's — Bloomer Girls were the first women in baseball to introduce night baseball games.
1904 — Amanda Clement was the first woman to be paid to umpire a baseball game; she umpired professionally for 6 years after that.
1908 — The U.S. baseball national anthem, “Take me out to the ball game,” was inspired by and written about a young girl’s love of the game.
1928 — Lizzie Murphy became the first woman to play for a major league team in an exhibition game. She also became the 1st person, of either gender, to play for both the American League and National League in All-Star games.
1930's — Women baseball players toured internationally, played junior baseball, and signed minor league contracts.
1943 to 1954 — The AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League) was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of Wrigley's Chewing Gum and the Chicago Cubs.
1944 — Dottie Wiltse pitched for the AAGPBL up until she was 6 months pregnant...one of the most ambitious women in baseball in my opinion!
1946 — Edith Houghton became the first out of many women in baseball to scout for the major leagues. Also in 1946, Sophie Kurys set the stolen base record for the AAGPBL with 201 stolen bases in 203 attempts; this record continues to be unequalled in baseball history, as Ricky Henderson is 2nd in stolen bases with 130 (1982).
1947 — The Racine Belles of the AAGPBL started the Junior Belles baseball program; 100 girls tried out but only 60 were selected. They were selected to play on 4 teams; the Grays, Greeens, Reds, and Golds. Also in 1947, Eulalia Gonzales became the first Cuban woman to play baseball in U.S.
1948 — The Junior Belles became more popular, as more girls tried out for the teams; other AAGPBL teams, such as the Lassies and the Comets, began to sponsor girls’ junior baseball teams. Also in 1948, after 5 years of playing, the AAGPBL (also known as the AAGBL) starts throwing pitches overhand instead of underhand.
1950 — Racine Belles and Junior Belles folded due to lack of money.
1950's — Toni Stone, Connie Morgan, and Mamie “Peanuts” Johnson played on men’s professional teams in the Negro Leagues; they weren’t allowed to play in the AAGPBL because they're African American.
1952 — George Trautman voided Eleanor Engle’s minor league contract with AA Harrisburg Senators. And on June 23, organized baseball banned women in baseball from playing in the minor leagues. The ban remains today.
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1955 — Bill Allington formed two women’s teams called Allington’s All-Stars which barnstormed the U.S. playing men’s town and semi-pro teams, like the Bloomer Girls did, it lasted until 1957.
1969 — Bernice Gera became the first woman to sign a professional umpire contract.
1973 — Pawtucket Slaterettes became the first all-girls’ baseball league.
1974 — Girls won the right to play baseball in Little League Baseball.
1988 — The American Women’s Baseball Association (AWBA) founded in Chicago; first organized women’s league since AAGPBL (1943-1954); 6 players from the AWBA were extras in the movie “A League of Their Own”, a movie based on women in baseball in the AAGPBL period.
1989 — Pam Postema was invited by baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti to umpire spring training games again. Also, this was the year Bart Giamatti died and thus Pam Postema was released from umpiring in the minor leagues, and this ended her dream of umpiring in the major leagues; she umpired for 13 years in the minors.
1990's —Jim Glennie founded the American Women's Baseball League (AWBL, and also known as American Women’s Baseball, AWB) in an effort to unite all women in baseball; women's baseball teams and leagues around the country and, to provide support to them, and the women of baseball.
1992 — “A League of Their Own” movie about the AAGPBL was produced by Penny Marshall. The movie is based on the subject of women in baseball, in the AAGPBL period.
1993 — Sal Coats became the first woman to play in the MSBL World Series (Men’s Senior Baseball League).
1995 — Ila Borders became the first woman to pitch and win a complete collegiate baseball game. Ila also was the first woman to win a collegiate baseball scholarship.
1997 — Ladies League Baseball was formed by Mike Ribant, “a San Diego business man”; it became the first professional women’s baseball league since the AAGPBL; the San Jose Spitfires won the Championships that year over the Los Angeles Legends.
1998 — Ila Borders became the first woman to win a men’s pro game while pitching for the Duluth Dukes independent minor league team. Also in 1998, after beginning its second season, the Ladies League Baseball expanded to 6 teams and goes nationwide, but due to lack of attendance, folds shortly after.
2000 — The American Women’s Baseball League (AWBL) took women’s baseball team to Japan to play the Japanese women’s national team, Team Energen.
2001 — The first Women’s World Series (WWS) was played at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Countries that participated were the U.S., Australia, Canada and Japan. The United States won the gold medal...proud women in baseball accross the United States escalated!!
2003 — The American Eagles of American Women’s Baseball (AWB) became the first women’s baseball team to be sanctioned by USA Baseball. Also in 2003, women’s baseball became an official sport (39th) of the AAU. This was the first time in U.S. history that a U.S. national organization began sanctioning and supporting women in baseball.
2004 — The first-ever Women’s World Cup of Baseball was played in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from July 30 to August 8. The event was sanctioned by the International Baseball Association and Federation (IBAF) and was hosted by Baseball Canada. Also, USA Baseball sanctioned the first official national women’s baseball team. The team competed in the 2004 WWS (in Japan) and in the 2004 Women’s World Cup of Baseball. Also in 2004, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Taiwan competed in the 2004 Women's World Cup in Edmonton. The U.S. won...women in baseball all accross the United States could stand proud!!
2006 — Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States competed in the 2006 Women's World Cup in Taiwan. The U.S. won the gold medal again...further escalating the pride sweeping accross the women in baseball
2008 — Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Japan and the United States competed in the Women's World Cup in Matsuyama, Japan. Japan won its first Gold Medal.
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No venue has been selected for the 2010 Women's World Cup. But an additional international tournament is being developed in the Dominican Republic, scheduled for 2010. Women's baseball is actively working to be included in the 2016 Olympic Games. The future of women in baseball looks bright, and as rules and regulations on women's involvement in professional sports becomes more level, the women in baseball are respected as much as I respect the men.
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