Betty Foss
Encyclopedia
Betty Foss [Fossey] was a infielder
and outfielder
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying. Her younger sisters, Jean
and Joanne
, also played in the league.
. Fossie, as friends and fans often called her, was a steady and productive hitter, a solid and speedy outfielder
, and a plus defender at first base. Gifted with a keen eye and a quick swing, she posted a .342 batting average
in 498 games, being surpassed only by her younger sister Joanne, who set an all-time record with a .359 mark. Besides scoring 401 runs
and driving in
another 312 runs, Foss top the league in doubles
three times, holds the single-season records for hits
, doubles and triples
, and set a record for career doubles (117). She collected 294 stolen bases, and is only one of six players to have hit 30 or more career home run
s (32). Her career .963 fielding average as an infielder
would have higher except for her rookie season at third base
, when she committed 47 errors
in 374 chances
. Interestingly, her fielding average at first base and in the outfield never dropped below .964. A two-time All-Star, she won the Rookie of the Year (1950) and Player of the Year (1952) awards, combining with her sister Joanne to capture the final five batting championships of the league. Her playing accomplishments helped her club to make the playoffs in these years and win three straight AAGPBL pennants beginning in 1952.
, Betty began playing sandlot ball
with her younger sisters at a very early age. Their father tried to get them to play in a boy's baseball team, but without success, and they finally started to play fastpitch softball on a regular basis. Determined to stay together, the trio played for the Magnavox softball team of the Chicago industrial league before joining the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 1950, a Chicago White Sox
scout
wanted to sign Betty a Minor league
contract, but at the same time she received a proposal from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to play for the Fort Wayne Daisies
. She opted to stay in the women's league instead, and joined the Fort Wayne team at the start of the 1950 season. For the next season, Jean and Joan would join the Daisies' roster.
. Foss also finished second with 125 hits (five behind Kurys), tied for third in home runs (five), finished fourth in total bases
(162) and runs batted in (61), while tying for sixth in stolen base
s (64) and for eight in runs
scored (64). She won the Rookie of the Year honors, but missed the All-Star Team
in favor of Fern Shollenberger
, an outstanding defender at third base who constantly paced the league in fielding percentage and number of double play
s turned.
But Foss was even better in her sophomore season. After moving to first base in 1951, she won her second consecutive batting title with a .368 average, to become the first repeat batting champion in the league since stellar first sacker Dorothy Kamenshek
, who did it both in 1946 and 1947. Foss also led the league with 34 doubles and 176 total bases, and tied first place in home runs (four) with Eleanor Callow
and Alice Pollitt
. She also finished fifth in RBI (78), seventh in stolen bases (60) and tied for fourth in runs (77), but again was denied an All-Star spot, this time to Kamenshek, a batting average runner-up in 1950 (.334) and 1951 (.335). Her 34 doubles in a season are the league record.
In 1952, Foss received the highest honor of the league when she earned the Player of the Year Award
. She led the batters in runs (81), hits (137), doubles (26), triples (17) and RBI (74), and was second in stolen bases (80), while hitting a solid .331 in 106 games to finish second in the batting race behind her sister Joanne (.344). Her 17 triples (more than the next two players combined) is a single-season record. Finally, she gained her first All-Star selection at first base.The All-Star team faced the South Bend Blue Sox
, the league’s 1951 playoff champions. The All-Stars prevailed, 7–6, when Foss scored the eventual winning run on an RBI-single by Doris Sams
in the top of the 9th inning.
Foss made her second straight All-Star appearance in 1953, and for the third consecutive year set a single-season mark after collecting 144 hits. She also led the league in stolen bases (80), in runs (99) for the second consecutive year, and in total bases (195) for the third year in a row. Besides this, she ended third in triples (seven), fifth in RBI (65) and sixth in home runs (five). For the first-time in her career she failed to lead the league in doubles, when hit 20, three behind leader Eleanor Callow
. She dropped to a .321 average, while her sister Joanne won the title with a .346 mark.
In 1954 Foss hit .352, ending fourth in the batting crown race, while her sister Joanne clinched the title for her third straight season with a .429 average, to become the only player in AAGPBL history to hit .400 or more in a regular season. Foss scored 80 runs, ending second to Joanne (109), and tied for sixth place with 13 doubles. She also finished second in stolen bases (34), fourth in hits (117) and fifth in total bases (172).
The Fort Wayne Daisies advanced to the best-of-five game Championship Series. Previously in the playoffs, the Kalamazoo Lassies
dispatched the South Bend Blue Sox
in three games and Fort Wayne did the same with the Grand Rapids Chicks
.
, who also helped herself by hitiing 2-for-4, including one home run. Her teammates Carol Habben
, Fern Shollenberger
and Chris Ballingall
, who hit a grand slam
, also slugged one each. Katie Horstman
connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, and her teammate Joanne Weaver
slugged one. Pitching star Maxine Kline
, who had posted an 18-7 record with 3.23 ERA during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss.
The Daisies evened the Series against the Lassies winning Game 2, 11–4, after hitting five home runs off two pitchers. Gloria Cordes
started for Kalamazoo, but due to a mix-up over the game's starting time the umpires
did not allow her to warm up
(supposedly there would be a half hour delay). Starting cold, Cordes allowed five runs before getting a batter out. After a leadoff walk to Mary Weddle, Horstman belted a home run for a 2–0 Fort Wayne lead. Then Ruth Richard
and Joanne Weaver hit back-to-back singles
, and Betty Foss hit a three-run homer for a 5-0 edge. Elaine Roth
relieved
Cordes and completed the game. But the Lassies hit three more home runs, one each by Jean Geissinger
and the Foss-Weaver sisters. Kalamazoo discounted the margin with leadoff homers by Nancy Mudge
, Peppas (playing at first base) and Dorothy Schroeder
, but the game's outcome was never in doubt.
In Game 3, the Daisies won the Lassies, 8–7, fueled fueled again by a heavy hitting by Joanne Weaver, who hit a double, a triple and a three-run home run in five at bats, driving in four runs. Peppas went 1-for-4 to spark a seventh inning three-run rally, but Fort Wayne came back in the bottom of the inning with two two runs that marked the difference. Cordes relieved with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, but did not allow any damage for the remainder of the game.
In other close score, the Lassies evened the Series in Game 4 with a victory over the Daisies, 6–5. Cordes started again with her team against the wall, 2-to-1. This time properly warmed up, she hurled a complete game
, allowing five runs on nine hits. Habben drove in two runs who marked the difference, while Kline suffered her second loss of the Series. Peppas contributed with a single, a double and one RBI in four at-bats.
In decisive Game 5, Peppas pitched a clutch complete game and went 3-for-5 with an RBI against her former Daisies team, winning by a 8–5 margin to gave the Lassies the Championship title in the AAGPBL's last ever game. She received support from Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Peppas finished with a .450 average and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history. In the end, the inspired Lassies rose to the challenge and batted a .337 average as a team. On the other hand, the usually heavy-hitting Daisies averaged only .275.
to play in the national touring team known as the All-Americans All-Stars. The team played 100 games, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon
and a Ford Country Sedan
. Besides Foss, the Allington All-Stars included players as Joan Berger
, Gloria Cordes
, Jeanie Descombes
, Gertrude Dunn
, Jean Geissinger
, Katie Horstman
, Maxine Kline
, Dolores Lee
, Magdalen Redman
, Ruth Richard
, Dorothy Schroeder
, Jean Smith
, and her younger sister Joanne Weaver
among others.
to work for a pump
company until retiring in 1994. She later moved back to her hometown of Metropolis, Illinois
, where she died three years later at the age of 68, following complications related to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(Lou Gehrig
's disease). In March 2000, Joanne died of the same disease that claimed her sister.
winning the title in 1945, the Fort Wayne Daisies amassed six batting crowns to set a league record. But while Fort Wayne made the playoffs in the last seven seasons of the league, the team struggled in the post-season and never won a Championship Title. In 1952 and 1953, the Daisies were knocked out in the first round after posting the best regular-season record.
launched a newsletter project to get in touch with friends, teammates and opponents, that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former players of the defunct league continued to enjoy reunions.
since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience.
is about the first season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. While the film does not use real names, filmmaker Penny Marshall
seemed to be aiming for realism, as her film includes fake newsreel footage and pseudo-documentary present day scenes at the beginning and end of the fictitious
story. A League of Their Own itself was inspired by the 1987 documentary of the same title, written and produced by Kelly Candaele, one of the five sons of the aforementioned Helen Callaghan. Candaele also collaborated with Kim Wilson in the story for the film. The AAGPBL players were relatively unknown until the Marshall's film was exhibited for the first time. In the AAGPBL Players Association annual reunions since 1998, it is usual to heard the original AAGPBL players singing We're the members of the All-American League. We come from cities near and far. We've got Canadians, Irish ones, and Swedes. We're all for one, we're one for all. We're all Americans.
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who played from through in 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' 10", 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying. Her younger sisters, Jean
Jean Weaver
Jean Weaver was a utility player who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., Weaver batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Metropolis, Illinois...
and Joanne
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, also played in the league.
Overview profile
Foss enjoyed an outstanding career during the final five years of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She won batting titles in back-to-back seasons in 1950 and 1951 and consistently ranked among the top 10 sluggers and best base stealersStolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
. Fossie, as friends and fans often called her, was a steady and productive hitter, a solid and speedy outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, and a plus defender at first base. Gifted with a keen eye and a quick swing, she posted a .342 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in 498 games, being surpassed only by her younger sister Joanne, who set an all-time record with a .359 mark. Besides scoring 401 runs
Run (baseball)
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 are met or assured...
and driving in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
another 312 runs, Foss top the league in doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
three times, holds the single-season records for hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, doubles and triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and set a record for career doubles (117). She collected 294 stolen bases, and is only one of six players to have hit 30 or more career 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 (32). Her career .963 fielding average as an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
would have higher except for her rookie season at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
, when she committed 47 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 374 chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
. Interestingly, her fielding average at first base and in the outfield never dropped below .964. A two-time All-Star, she won the Rookie of the Year (1950) and Player of the Year (1952) awards, combining with her sister Joanne to capture the final five batting championships of the league. Her playing accomplishments helped her club to make the playoffs in these years and win three straight AAGPBL pennants beginning in 1952.
Early life
A native of Metropolis, IllinoisMetropolis, Illinois
Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,482...
, Betty began playing sandlot ball
Sandlot ball
Sandlot ball is a North American adolescent game that generally follows the basic rules of baseball. More specific rules can be set for games and may vary each time the game is played. These rules are usually agreed upon before the game begins by teams of young boys or girls usually from the same...
with her younger sisters at a very early age. Their father tried to get them to play in a boy's baseball team, but without success, and they finally started to play fastpitch softball on a regular basis. Determined to stay together, the trio played for the Magnavox softball team of the Chicago industrial league before joining the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 1950, a Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
scout
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...
wanted to sign Betty a Minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
contract, but at the same time she received a proposal from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to play for 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...
. She opted to stay in the women's league instead, and joined the Fort Wayne team at the start of the 1950 season. For the next season, Jean and Joan would join the Daisies' roster.
AAGPBL career
As a rookie in 1950 Foss had a significant and immediate impact in the league. She won the batting title with a .346 average, and led the hitters with 24 doubles and a robust .471 slugging percentage, 35 points ahead of Sophie KurysSophie Kurys
Sophie Kurys is a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 115 lb., Kurys batted and threw right-handed.-Career:...
. Foss also finished second with 125 hits (five behind Kurys), tied for third in home runs (five), finished fourth in total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
(162) and runs batted in (61), while tying for sixth in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s (64) and for eight in runs
Run (baseball)
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 are met or assured...
scored (64). She won the Rookie of the Year honors, but missed the All-Star Team
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through ....
in favor of Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger [Shelly] was a third basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 125 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Brief profile:...
, an outstanding defender at third base who constantly paced the league in fielding percentage and number of double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s turned.
But Foss was even better in her sophomore season. After moving to first base in 1951, she won her second consecutive batting title with a .368 average, to become the first repeat batting champion in the league since stellar first sacker Dorothy Kamenshek
Dorothy Kamenshek
Dorothy "Dottie" Kamenshek was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed....
, who did it both in 1946 and 1947. Foss also led the league with 34 doubles and 176 total bases, and tied first place in home runs (four) with Eleanor Callow
Eleanor Callow
Eleanor Callow Squirt is a former Canadian female left fielder who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed...
and Alice Pollitt
Alice Pollitt
Alice Pollitt [Deschaine] is a former infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
. She also finished fifth in RBI (78), seventh in stolen bases (60) and tied for fourth in runs (77), but again was denied an All-Star spot, this time to Kamenshek, a batting average runner-up in 1950 (.334) and 1951 (.335). Her 34 doubles in a season are the league record.
In 1952, Foss received the highest honor of the league when she earned the Player of the Year Award
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Player of the Year Award
Starting on its third year of operation, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League honored with the Player of the Year Award the top performer in the circuit that year. The AAGPBL folded at the end of the 1954 season. This is the list of winners.-Winners:...
. She led the batters in runs (81), hits (137), doubles (26), triples (17) and RBI (74), and was second in stolen bases (80), while hitting a solid .331 in 106 games to finish second in the batting race behind her sister Joanne (.344). Her 17 triples (more than the next two players combined) is a single-season record. Finally, she gained her first All-Star selection at first base.The All-Star team faced the 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...
, the league’s 1951 playoff champions. The All-Stars prevailed, 7–6, when Foss scored the eventual winning run on an RBI-single by 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....
in the top of the 9th inning.
Foss made her second straight All-Star appearance in 1953, and for the third consecutive year set a single-season mark after collecting 144 hits. She also led the league in stolen bases (80), in runs (99) for the second consecutive year, and in total bases (195) for the third year in a row. Besides this, she ended third in triples (seven), fifth in RBI (65) and sixth in home runs (five). For the first-time in her career she failed to lead the league in doubles, when hit 20, three behind leader Eleanor Callow
Eleanor Callow
Eleanor Callow Squirt is a former Canadian female left fielder who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed...
. She dropped to a .321 average, while her sister Joanne won the title with a .346 mark.
In 1954 Foss hit .352, ending fourth in the batting crown race, while her sister Joanne clinched the title for her third straight season with a .429 average, to become the only player in AAGPBL history to hit .400 or more in a regular season. Foss scored 80 runs, ending second to Joanne (109), and tied for sixth place with 13 doubles. She also finished second in stolen bases (34), fourth in hits (117) and fifth in total bases (172).
The Fort Wayne Daisies advanced to the best-of-five game Championship Series. Previously in the playoffs, the 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...
dispatched the 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...
in three games and Fort Wayne did the same 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....
.
1954 Championship Title
In Game 1 of the AAGPBL Series, the Kalamazoo Lassies defeated the Fort Wayne Daisies 17-9 behind a four-hit, seven strong innings from June PeppasJune Peppas
June Peppas is a former first basewoman and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.-Early life:...
, who also helped herself by hitiing 2-for-4, including one home run. Her teammates Carol Habben
Carol Habben
Carol Habben was a center fielder and backup catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
, Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger [Shelly] was a third basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 125 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Brief profile:...
and Chris Ballingall
Chris Ballingall
Chris Ballingall is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'6", 145 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
, who hit a grand slam
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...
, also slugged one each. Katie Horstman
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, and her teammate Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
slugged one. Pitching star Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline [Randall] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, who had posted an 18-7 record with 3.23 ERA during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss.
The Daisies evened the Series against the Lassies winning Game 2, 11–4, after hitting five home runs off two pitchers. Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
started for Kalamazoo, but due to a mix-up over the game's starting time the umpires
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
did not allow her to warm up
Warming up
A warm-up is usually performed before participating in technical sports or exercising. A warm-up generally consists of a gradual increase in intensity in physical activity , a joint mobility exercise, stretching and a sport related activity. For example, before running or playing an intense sport...
(supposedly there would be a half hour delay). Starting cold, Cordes allowed five runs before getting a batter out. After a leadoff walk to Mary Weddle, Horstman belted a home run for a 2–0 Fort Wayne lead. Then Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard [Richie] is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
and Joanne Weaver hit back-to-back singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
, and Betty Foss hit a three-run homer for a 5-0 edge. Elaine Roth
Elaine Roth
Elaine Roth [E] was a female pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
relieved
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Cordes and completed the game. But the Lassies hit three more home runs, one each by Jean Geissinger
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...
and the Foss-Weaver sisters. Kalamazoo discounted the margin with leadoff homers by Nancy Mudge
Nancy Mudge
Nancy Mudge [Cato] is a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 120 lb., Mudge batted and threw right handed. She was nicknamed ″Smudgie″....
, Peppas (playing at first base) and Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder [″Dottie″] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed...
, but the game's outcome was never in doubt.
In Game 3, the Daisies won the Lassies, 8–7, fueled fueled again by a heavy hitting by Joanne Weaver, who hit a double, a triple and a three-run home run in five at bats, driving in four runs. Peppas went 1-for-4 to spark a seventh inning three-run rally, but Fort Wayne came back in the bottom of the inning with two two runs that marked the difference. Cordes relieved with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, but did not allow any damage for the remainder of the game.
In other close score, the Lassies evened the Series in Game 4 with a victory over the Daisies, 6–5. Cordes started again with her team against the wall, 2-to-1. This time properly warmed up, she hurled a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
, allowing five runs on nine hits. Habben drove in two runs who marked the difference, while Kline suffered her second loss of the Series. Peppas contributed with a single, a double and one RBI in four at-bats.
In decisive Game 5, Peppas pitched a clutch complete game and went 3-for-5 with an RBI against her former Daisies team, winning by a 8–5 margin to gave the Lassies the Championship title in the AAGPBL's last ever game. She received support from Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Peppas finished with a .450 average and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history. In the end, the inspired Lassies rose to the challenge and batted a .337 average as a team. On the other hand, the usually heavy-hitting Daisies averaged only .275.
Bill Allington All-Stars
Once the league disbanded, Foss joined several other players selected by former Daisies manager Bill AllingtonBill 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....
to play in the national touring team known as the All-Americans All-Stars. The team played 100 games, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
and a Ford Country Sedan
Ford Country Sedan
The Ford Country Sedan was a full-size station wagon built by the Ford Motor Company from 1952 until 1974.It was based on the Ford full-size car line available in each year. The Country Sedan was the mid-trim station wagon in the Ford range. Unlike the Country Squire, the Country Sedan featured...
. Besides Foss, the Allington All-Stars included players as Joan Berger
Joan Berger
Joan Berger [Knebl] is a former female infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 132 lb., Berger batted and threw right handed...
, Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Jeanie Descombes
Jeanie Descombes
Jeneane Descombes Lesko is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw left-handed...
, Gertrude Dunn
Gertrude Dunn
Gertrude Dunn was an American baseball player with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league made famous by the 1992 movie A League Of Their Own. She played shortstop on two teams, the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox, and was named "Rookie of the Year" in . ...
, Jean Geissinger
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...
, Katie Horstman
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline [Randall] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Dolores Lee
Dolores Lee
Dolores Margaret Lee is a former female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, Magdalen Redman
Magdalen Redman
Magdalen Redman [״Mamie״] is a former catcher and utility infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard [Richie] is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
, Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder [″Dottie″] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed...
, Jean Smith
Jean Smith (baseball)
Jean Marie Smith was an outfielder and relief pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 128...
, and her younger sister Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
among others.
Life after baseball
Foss returned to Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
to work for a pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
company until retiring in 1994. She later moved back to her hometown of Metropolis, Illinois
Metropolis, Illinois
Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,482...
, where she died three years later at the age of 68, following complications related to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
(Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
's disease). In March 2000, Joanne died of the same disease that claimed her sister.
Batting statistics
| GP Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... | AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... | R Run (baseball) 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 are met or assured... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | 2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | 3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | HR 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... | RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... | TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... | BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... | SO 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.... | BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 498 | 1898 | 401 | 649 | 117 | 30 | 32 | 312 | 294 | 199 | 176 | 922 | .342 | .404 | .486 |
A team record
The sisters Foss-Weaver were able to win the final five batting championships of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. With Helen CallaghanHelen 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...
winning the title in 1945, the Fort Wayne Daisies amassed six batting crowns to set a league record. But while Fort Wayne made the playoffs in the last seven seasons of the league, the team struggled in the post-season and never won a Championship Title. In 1952 and 1953, the Daisies were knocked out in the first round after posting the best regular-season record.
Players Association
When the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was unable to continue in 1955, its history and its significance were soon forgotten. Many people in the 1950s thought that women were not supposed to play baseball, so most female athletes competed on other fields of endeavor. Finally, in 1980, former pitcher June PeppasJune Peppas
June Peppas is a former first basewoman and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.-Early life:...
launched a newsletter project to get in touch with friends, teammates and opponents, that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former players of the defunct league continued to enjoy reunions.
Hall of Fame honors
The AAGPBL Players Association movement helped to bring the league story to the public eye. The association was largely responsible for the opening of a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New YorkCooperstown, 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...
since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience.
A League of Their Own
The 1992 film A League of Their OwnA 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...
is about the first season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. While the film does not use real names, filmmaker 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...
seemed to be aiming for realism, as her film includes fake newsreel footage and pseudo-documentary present day scenes at the beginning and end of the fictitious
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
story. A League of Their Own itself was inspired by the 1987 documentary of the same title, written and produced by Kelly Candaele, one of the five sons of the aforementioned Helen Callaghan. Candaele also collaborated with Kim Wilson in the story for the film. The AAGPBL players were relatively unknown until the Marshall's film was exhibited for the first time. In the AAGPBL Players Association annual reunions since 1998, it is usual to heard the original AAGPBL players singing We're the members of the All-American League. We come from cities near and far. We've got Canadians, Irish ones, and Swedes. We're all for one, we're one for all. We're all Americans.