Annabelle Lee
Encyclopedia
Annabelle Lee Harmon was a female pitcher
who played from through with four different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 2", 120 lb, Lee was a switch-hitter and threw left-handed
. She was born in Los Angeles, California
.
of the Pacific Coast League
, while her nephew Bill Lee
pitched in Major League Baseball
for the Boston Red Sox
and Montreal Expos
. She entered the baseball record books in 1944 after pitching the first perfect game
in AAGPBL history. Besides this, she hurled a no-hitter
game the next season and posted a solid career 2.25 earned run average
during her seven years in the league. Lee is also recognized as one of the few pitchers in the AAGPBL to pitch all three pitching styles adopted in the league's history. Unfortunately, she never enjoyed a winning season on her way to a 63-96 career record, due to pitching mostly for awful teams with bad defense and a low run support.
during World War II
. Wrigley, who was in charge both of the Wrigley Company
and the Chicago Cubs
Major League Baseball
club, conceived the idea of initiating the innovative project to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting major-league rosters of first-line players and attendance declined at ballparks around the country. By sending out talent scouts
and setting up try-outs in dozens of major cities, Wrigley attracted hundreds of women from all over the United States
and Canada
who were eager to play in this new professional league. Of these, only 280 were invited to the final tryout at Wrigley Field
in Chicago
where 60 were chosen to become the first women to ever play professional baseball. League play officially began on May 30, 1943 with the teams Kenosha Comets
, Racine Belles
, Rockford Peaches
and South Bend Blue Sox
. Each team was made up of fifteen girls.
In its 12 years of history the AAGPBL evolved through many stages. These differences varied from the beginning of the league, progressively extending the length of the base paths and pitching distance and decreasing the size of the ball
until the final year of play. For the first four years the circuit used a fastpitch underhand
motion and shifted to sidearm in 1947, until overhand pitching became effective in 1948.
As a result of the success of the circuit in its first year, civic groups in each of the four cities involved and league's officers agreed to finance two additional teams to play in the 1944 season, the Milwaukee Chicks
and the Minneapolis Millerettes
. By then Bill Allington
, former minor league player, coached
in the California
leagues and was also an active scout in the area for the AAGPBL. As a result of his scouting, Allington arranged a tryout for six talented players from Los Angeles. They traveled to the spring training
to be held at Peru, Indiana
, and made the league. Eventually, Allington would join the AAGPBL with the Peaches, to become the most successful manager in the league's history. The six Californian girls selected were Annabelle Lee, Faye Dancer
, Thelma Eisen
, Lavonne Paire
, Dorothy Wiltse
and Alma Ziegler
.
painted on an old mattress, she added.
Using underhand fastball
pitching in her first season, Lee posted a 11-14 record with a 2.43 ERA in 29 appearances, including her perfect game gem against the Kenosha Comets and the 9th best ERA in the league. She allowed 96 runs, 39 of them unearned, and stroke out
56 batters. The Millerettes, managed by Bubber Jonnard
, compiled the worst mark of the league (45-72) and finished last in both halves of the season, 8½ games back of fifth place overall, 26½ out of first.
I was a junkball pitcher, but I had a great knuckleball
, Lee confessed. In her debut season, she combined with Wiltze (20-16, 1.88 ERA) for 31 of the 45 victories of the helpless Millerettes. The team received some pretty good performances from Helen Callaghan
, who hit .287 (2nd in the league) and Faye Dancer
(.274, 44 extrabases
), who became the first girl to hit two home run
s in a single game and two grand slams
in a regular season. Playing their home games at Nicollet Park
, the Millerettes could not compete with the local Minneapolis Millers
. In addition, Minneapolis was far from the other five cities in the league, forcing the team to spend most of the season on the road. As a result, the team was replaced by the Fort Wayne Daisies
in the 1945 season.
In 1945 Fort Wayne inherited a few players from Minneapolis, including Helen Callaghan and her older sister Marge
as well as Ruth Lessing
, Betty Trezza
, Dancer, Paire and Lee. With Bill Wambsganss
at the helm, the Daisies went 62-47 and finished 4½ games behind the first place Rockford Peaches. Lee finished with a 13-16 mark despite a 1.56 ERA (6th in the league), though low run support remained a crucial issue. Helen Callaghan was one of the few bright spots in the team, winning the batting crown with a .295 average and tying with teammate Dancer for the league-lead in homers (3). Fort Wayne advanced to the playoffs and dispossed of the Racine Belles in the first round, three to one games, but was beaten by the Rockford Peaches in the final best-of-seven series, four to one games.
Lee continued moving around for a while, as the AAGPBL shifted players as needed to help teams stay afloat. This time she joined the expansion Peoria Redwings
in 1946 and was back with a last-place team. Lee went 12-23 with a 2.74 ERA as she led the league in losses. In 1947, pitching sidearm
, she began with Peoria and landed with the Grand Rapids Chicks
during the midseason. She posted a combined mark of 9-11 with 29 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA in 24 games. During the first round of the playoffs, Grand Rapids lost to Rockford in five games.
In 1948, the league switched over to overhand pitching and moved the mound back further. Lee returned to Fort Wayne Daisies and went 10-14 with a 2.25 ERA in 27 games. She allowed 78 runs, 56 earned, while striking out 56 batters. The Daisies finished fourth in the Eastern Division (53-72) and advanced to the playoffs, beating the Muskegon Lassies
in the first round (3-to-1) and Grand Rapids in the semi-finals (3-to-0), but were defeated by Rockford in the best-of-seven series, four to one games.
Lee continued to switch teams on a regular basis. This time she landed back to Peoria in 1949 and again suffered from the horrendous offensive deficiencies of a last-place team, ending with a 5-14 record and a 2.18 ERA that year. She pitched her final season in 1950 and was 3-4 with a 2.51 ERA for Peoria.
When asked about the 1992 film A League of Their Own
, a fictionalized account of activities in the AAGPBL created by Penny Marshall
, Lee said the film was about 70% accurate. In real life, the managers never entered the women's dressing rooms, she mused. It was a time when women took over men's positions as they went off to war, not only in the field of manufacturing, but on the field of dreams, she concluded.
Lee is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She died in Costa Mesa, California
, at the age of 86.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from through with four different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 2", 120 lb, Lee was a switch-hitter and threw left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
. She was born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Overview profile
Anabelle Lee grew up in a home where baseball was considered of vital importance, as her father was an early 1920s baseball standout for the Hollywood StarsHollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, while her nephew Bill Lee
Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)
William Francis Lee III , nicknamed "Spaceman", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox from - and the Montreal Expos from -...
pitched in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. She entered the baseball record books in 1944 after pitching the first perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in AAGPBL history. Besides this, she hurled a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
game the next season and posted a solid career 2.25 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
during her seven years in the league. Lee is also recognized as one of the few pitchers in the AAGPBL to pitch all three pitching styles adopted in the league's history. Unfortunately, she never enjoyed a winning season on her way to a 63-96 career record, due to pitching mostly for awful teams with bad defense and a low run support.
A brief history
The AAGPBL operated from 1943 to 1954 and gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball and to play it at a level never before attained. The league was conceived by Philip K. WrigleyPhilip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Wrigley, who was in charge both of the Wrigley Company
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club, conceived the idea of initiating the innovative project to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting major-league rosters of first-line players and attendance declined at ballparks around the country. By sending out talent scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
and setting up try-outs in dozens of major cities, Wrigley attracted hundreds of women from all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who were eager to play in this new professional league. Of these, only 280 were invited to the final tryout at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where 60 were chosen to become the first women to ever play professional baseball. League play officially began on May 30, 1943 with the teams Kenosha Comets
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 Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.The Kenosha Comets were one...
, Racine Belles
Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
, Rockford Peaches
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....
and South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
. Each team was made up of fifteen girls.
In its 12 years of history the AAGPBL evolved through many stages. These differences varied from the beginning of the league, progressively extending the length of the base paths and pitching distance and decreasing the size of the ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
until the final year of play. For the first four years the circuit used a fastpitch underhand
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
motion and shifted to sidearm in 1947, until overhand pitching became effective in 1948.
As a result of the success of the circuit in its first year, civic groups in each of the four cities involved and league's officers agreed to finance two additional teams to play in the 1944 season, the Milwaukee Chicks
Milwaukee Chicks
The Milwaukee Chicks were a women's professional baseball team which played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the season. They were managed by Max Carey, former star player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Robins and a future Hall of Famer.-History:By 1944 the...
and the Minneapolis Millerettes
Minneapolis Millerettes
The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944. They played their home games in Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor league team the Minneapolis Millers...
. By then Bill Allington
Bill Allington
William Baird Allington was an American Minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" , 160 lb., Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan....
, former minor league player, coached
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
leagues and was also an active scout in the area for the AAGPBL. As a result of his scouting, Allington arranged a tryout for six talented players from Los Angeles. They traveled to the spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
to be held at Peru, Indiana
Peru, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile . There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7 per square mile...
, and made the league. Eventually, Allington would join the AAGPBL with the Peaches, to become the most successful manager in the league's history. The six Californian girls selected were Annabelle Lee, Faye Dancer
Faye Dancer
Faye Katherine Dancer was a center fielder who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Thelma Eisen
Thelma Eisen
Thelma Eisen [Tiby] is a former 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....
, Lavonne Paire
Pepper Paire
Lavonne Paire Davis [″Pepper″] is a former catcher and infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
, Dorothy Wiltse
Dottie Wiltse Collins
Dorothy Wiltse Collins [Dottie] was an American pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was in existence from 1943–54....
and Alma Ziegler
Alma Ziegler
Alma Ziegler was an infielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 125 lb., Ziegler batted and threw right-handed....
.
AAGPBL career
Lee was allocated to the expansion Minneapolis Millerettes in 1944. I was excited and scared all at the same time; I was thrilled to leave behind my $95-a-month bank clerk's position for an $85-a-week, she recalled in an interview. With the guidance of her father, Lee excelled at sports at a very early age. To teach me pitching accuracy, he made me throw a baseball through a tire hung from a tree and then at a strike zoneStrike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...
painted on an old mattress, she added.
Using underhand fastball
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
pitching in her first season, Lee posted a 11-14 record with a 2.43 ERA in 29 appearances, including her perfect game gem against the Kenosha Comets and the 9th best ERA in the league. She allowed 96 runs, 39 of them unearned, and stroke out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
56 batters. The Millerettes, managed by Bubber Jonnard
Bubber Jonnard
Clarence James Jonnard 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. Louis Cardinals in 1929. He played 103 Major League games with 235 at bats, 54 hits, no home...
, compiled the worst mark of the league (45-72) and finished last in both halves of the season, 8½ games back of fifth place overall, 26½ out of first.
I was a junkball pitcher, but I had a great knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
, Lee confessed. In her debut season, she combined with Wiltze (20-16, 1.88 ERA) for 31 of the 45 victories of the helpless Millerettes. The team received some pretty good performances from Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
, who hit .287 (2nd in the league) and Faye Dancer
Faye Dancer
Faye Katherine Dancer was a center fielder who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(.274, 44 extrabases
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
), who became the first girl to hit two home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in a single game and two grand slams
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
in a regular season. Playing their home games at Nicollet Park
Nicollet Park
Nicollet Park is a former baseball ground located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The ground was home to the minor league Minneapolis Millers of the Western League and later American Association from 1896 to 1955. During its first season it was officially known as Wright Field name for...
, the Millerettes could not compete with the local Minneapolis Millers
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League.The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park.The name Minneapolis...
. In addition, Minneapolis was far from the other five cities in the league, forcing the team to spend most of the season on the road. As a result, the team was replaced by the Fort Wayne Daisies
Fort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
in the 1945 season.
In 1945 Fort Wayne inherited a few players from Minneapolis, including Helen Callaghan and her older sister Marge
Marge Callaghan
Margaret Callaghan Maxwell was an infielder who played from 1944-1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 112 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
as well as Ruth Lessing
Ruth Lessing
----Ruth Elizabeth Lessing [Tex] was a female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 128 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, Betty Trezza
Betty Trezza
Betty Trezza [″Moe″] was an American professional baseball player. An infield and outfield utility, she played from through for four different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League....
, Dancer, Paire and Lee. With Bill Wambsganss
Bill Wambsganss
William Adolf Wambsganss was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 through 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics...
at the helm, the Daisies went 62-47 and finished 4½ games behind the first place Rockford Peaches. Lee finished with a 13-16 mark despite a 1.56 ERA (6th in the league), though low run support remained a crucial issue. Helen Callaghan was one of the few bright spots in the team, winning the batting crown with a .295 average and tying with teammate Dancer for the league-lead in homers (3). Fort Wayne advanced to the playoffs and dispossed of the Racine Belles in the first round, three to one games, but was beaten by the Rockford Peaches in the final best-of-seven series, four to one games.
Lee continued moving around for a while, as the AAGPBL shifted players as needed to help teams stay afloat. This time she joined the expansion Peoria Redwings
Peoria Redwings
The Peoria Redwings were a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the season. The team represented Peoria, Illinois....
in 1946 and was back with a last-place team. Lee went 12-23 with a 2.74 ERA as she led the league in losses. In 1947, pitching sidearm
Sidearm
In baseball, sidearm describes balls thrown along a low, approximately horizontal axis rather than a high, mostly vertical axis ....
, she began with Peoria and landed with the Grand Rapids Chicks
Grand Rapids Chicks
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953....
during the midseason. She posted a combined mark of 9-11 with 29 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA in 24 games. During the first round of the playoffs, Grand Rapids lost to Rockford in five games.
In 1948, the league switched over to overhand pitching and moved the mound back further. Lee returned to Fort Wayne Daisies and went 10-14 with a 2.25 ERA in 27 games. She allowed 78 runs, 56 earned, while striking out 56 batters. The Daisies finished fourth in the Eastern Division (53-72) and advanced to the playoffs, beating the Muskegon Lassies
Muskegon Lassies
The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in , representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field....
in the first round (3-to-1) and Grand Rapids in the semi-finals (3-to-0), but were defeated by Rockford in the best-of-seven series, four to one games.
Lee continued to switch teams on a regular basis. This time she landed back to Peoria in 1949 and again suffered from the horrendous offensive deficiencies of a last-place team, ending with a 5-14 record and a 2.18 ERA that year. She pitched her final season in 1950 and was 3-4 with a 2.51 ERA for Peoria.
When asked about the 1992 film A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, a fictionalized account of activities in the AAGPBL created by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
, Lee said the film was about 70% accurate. In real life, the managers never entered the women's dressing rooms, she mused. It was a time when women took over men's positions as they went off to war, not only in the field of manufacturing, but on the field of dreams, she concluded.
Lee is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She died in Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
, at the age of 86.
AAGPBL perfect games
| Pitcher(s) | Season | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annabelle Lee | Minneapolis Millerettes Minneapolis Millerettes The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944. They played their home games in Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor league team the Minneapolis Millers... |
Kenosha Comets 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 Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.The Kenosha Comets were one... |
|
| Carolyn Morris Carolyn Morris Carolyn E. Morris was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 157 lb., Morris batted and threw right handed... |
Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954.... |
Fort Wayne Daisies Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League... |
|
| Doris Sams Doris Sams Doris Jane Sams [Sammye] is a former female outfielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 9", 145 lbs., she batted and threw right handed.... |
Muskegon Lassies Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in , representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field.... |
Fort Wayne Daisies Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League... |
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| Jean Faut Jean Faut Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed.... |
South Bend Blue Sox South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League... |
Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954.... |
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| Jean Faut Jean Faut Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed.... |
South Bend Blue Sox South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League... |
Kalamazoo Lassies Kalamazoo Lassies The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the... |