Dorothy Maguire
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Maguire was a catcher
and outfielder
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Maguire batted and threw right-handed. She also played under the name of Dorothy Chapman.
s and an ability to understand the strategy of the game. She achieved a playoff berth in six of her seven seasons in the league, including the championship teams in 1943 and 1945, though she played with three different teams based in four different cities, because the league shifted players as needed to help teams stay afloat. Her life was full of energy, excitement, and risks unfamiliar to many women through the years, as she worked in cabbage fields during the Great Depression
, raised horses, worked in factories, and drove taxi cabs in Cleveland
during World War II
. She was dubbed Mickey after Detroit Tigers
catcher Mickey Cochrane
, due to her tenacity to accomplish any task she set out to do and her amazingly warm-hearted spirit.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was introduced in the spring of 1943, featuring young women with both athletic ability and feminine appeal. During World War II
, Philip K. Wrigley
was in charge both of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
and the Chicago Cubs
Major League Baseball
club. Wrigley decided to found the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
as a promotional sideline to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting Major League rosters of first-line players. Arthur Meyerhoff
, Wrigley's advertising director, was given the responsibility of coordinating operations with city officials and civic leaders in the communities, as well as a projected budget was developed. Hundreds of girls were eager to play in the new league, and 280 were invited to final tryouts at Wrigley Field
in Chicago, Illinois. Of those, sixty were selected as the first women to play on the first four teams: the Kenosha Comets
, Racine Belles
, Rockford Peaches
and South Bend Blue Sox
. Each team had fifteen players, a manager, a business manager and a female chaperone. Players in the AAGBBL made between $50 and $125 a week during a three-month, 108-game season, which were generous in comparison to those for other work at the time. The average full-time worker made $1,299 a year in the 1940s, according to one estimate, or about $25 a week. Most AAGPBL games were played at night, including the All-Star game of the inaugural season on July 1, 1943, which also was the first contest played under artificial illumination at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The league made an auspicious debut, averaging about 1,000 fans per game in 1943, while attracting about 210,000 for the entire year. Early in the 1944 season, it became evident that the war would not force major league baseball to disband, and Wrigley lost interest in the project. During the offseason, Wrigley sold the league to his Chicago advertising executive, Arthur Meyerhoff
. It was under Meyerhoff management that expansion and the publicity campaign of the AAGPBL reached its peak. The circuit excelled in attendance and performing during the 1948 season, when 10 teams attracted 910,000 paid fans, but by 1954, attendance dropped to only 270,000, dooming the league to extinction. It was a neglected chapter of sports history, at least until 1992
, when filmmaker Penny Marshall
premiered her film A League of Their Own
, a fiction
alized account of activities in the AAGPBL that brought a rejuvenated interest to the extinct league.
Maguire was born Dorothy Maime McAlpin in LaGrange, Ohio
, and grew up playing sandlot ball
with her neighborhood kids at an early age, most of them boys, but did not start participating organized baseball until she was 16. At this time, a tool shop in Elyria, Ohio
made special arrangements to work around child labor rules so that she could play with them. She then joined the Erin Brew, a perennial champion fastpitch
team based in Cleveland, where she was discovered by an AAGPBL scout
. She was invited to assist to final tryouts at Wrigley Field. Following a week and a half of drills, she was allocated to the Racine Belles, a team managed
by hockey
legend Johnny Gottselig
.
Maguire enjoyed a good first season. She shared catching duties with Irene Hickson
, while the Belles claimed the first Championship Title in the league's history. Racine was characterized by strong pitching, solid defense, timely hitting and speed on the bases. Mary Nesbitt
posted a 26-13 record in the regular season, while Joanne Winter
finished with a 11-11 mark to give Racine a strong one-two pitching staff. The offensive was led by Eleanor Dapkus
, who hit a league-lead 10 home run
s. The speedy Sophie Kurys
stole
a league-best 44 bases and scored
60 runs, while Margaret Danhauser
, Maddy English
, Edythe Perlick
and Claire Schillace
could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. In the Championship Series, the Belles defeated the Comets, winners of the second half, 3 games to 0. Maguire hit .269 in 70 games, driving in
33 runs while scoring
34 times. She also appeared in the All-Star game during the midseason, which was played between two teams composed of Belles and Comets players against Blue Sox and Peaches players.
Two new teams joined the league in 1944, the Milwaukee Chicks
and the Minneapolis Millerettes
. Maguire started the season with the expansion Chicks as their regular catcher, appearing in 109 of the 117 games of her team. She married Tom Maguire, who was reported killed in action during wartime in the month of June. Maguire received a call just before a game from her Mother, but kept the news to herself and entered the field of play. After completing the game, she reported the news to the press. Then, she received a couple of letters from him in August from a hospital in Italy
, explaining that he had not been identified for that time and was presumed dead. This event provided partial inspiration for the character of catcher Dottie Hinson, portrayed by actress Geena Davis
in the film A League of Their Own.
That season, Maguire dropped to .191 with 40 runs and 39 RBI, but her biggest strength was the ability to handle pitchers and call the game, while showing a solid defense and a strong throwing arm. The Chicks were a well balanced squad that counted with talented pitchers as Josephine Kabick
(26-19) and Connie Wisniewski
(23-10). The offensive support came from Merle Keagle
, who led the AAGPBL hitters with seven home run
s and 145 total bases
, while hitting .264 with 47 RBI. A daring base runner, Alma Ziegler
established at second base as a flashy defender who made outstandings plays routinely, being considered the spark plug of the team.
With Max Carey
at the helm, the Chicks went 30-26 in the first half of the year, but dominated the second half (40-19) and had the best overall record (70-45). They then went on to win the Championship Title, beating Kenosha in seven playoff games. Although the Chicks won the title, they had no local financial backing and could not compete with the American Association
Milwaukee Brewers
. In fact, the Chicks were forced to play all seven games of the series at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium because the Brewers were using the Borchert Field
in Milwaukee. In addition, the high ticket prices charged for AAGPBL games failed to encourage significant fan support. Due to lack of community support and skepticism of journalists, the Chicks moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan
prior to the 1945 season.
Two teams were added in the AAGPBL’s 110-game 1945 regular season, the Fort Wayne Daisies
and the Grand Rapids Chicks
. Maguire continued her stellar play with the Chicks at Grand Rapids, helping her team to reach the playoffs. She also contributed with a .159 average in 99 games, driving in 20 runs while scoring 35 times. The Chicks finished third with a 60-50 record, but lost in the first round to Rockford, three to one games.
In 1946 the AAGPBL acquired franchises for two more teams, the Muskegon Lassies
and the Peoria Redwings
. A four-team minor league also was established in Chicago as the Chicago Girls Baseball League (CGBL), while the spring training camp was moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi
. Maguire was dealt to the Lassies in order to establish the new team, which was managed by Buzz Boyle
. She posted career-numbers in hits (74), runs (42) and RBI (47), while hitting a .218 average in 101 games, a pretty good performance considering Muskegon finished sixth the eight-team league with a losing record of 46-66.
In April 1947, all of the league’s players were flown to Havana, Cuba, for spring training
. At the time, the Brooklyn Dodgers
trained in Havana because Jackie Robinson
, who would be the first Afro-American to play in the Major Leagues, was training with the Dodgers for the first time. City ordinances in Vero Beach, Florida
, where the Dodgers normally trained, prevented blacks and whites from competing on the same field against each other. Notably, newspaper stories from Havana indicate that the All-American girls drew larger crowds for their exhibition games in Havana than did the Dodgers. Maguire saw little action with the Lassies that year, but still to manage a .216 average with 28 runs and 24 RBI in just 75 games due to an injury. Muskegon improved considerably under new manager, Bill Wambsganss
, to win a close pennant race with a fine 69-43 record, backed by a strong performance from outfielder/pitcher Doris Sams
, who hit a third-best .280 average with 31 runs and 41 RBI in 107 games, and posted a 11-4 pitching record with a respectable 0.93 earned run average
, to finish second only to Grand Rapids' Mildred Earp
(.068). Sams was named Player of the Year, but Muskegon fell in the first round of the playoffs, dropping 3 of 4 games to Racine.
For the 1948 season, the AAGPBL expanded to a historical peak of ten teams divided into Eastern and Western Divisions. That year, Maguire returned in good form, playing all but one game for her team. She hit a career-low .155 (58-for-373) with 58 runs and 30 RBI in 124 games, but recorded career-numbers in at-bats and game appearances. Muskegon remained strong, finishing 67-58 for the second-best record in the eastern division, but fell in the first round of the playoffs to Grand Rapids by a 3-1 margin.
Maguire was divorced in 1947. After married George Chapman in 1949, she decided to retire at the end of the season. Used sparingly, she hit .148 in only 17 games. Muskegon, now managed by Carson Bigbee
, fell back to sixth place (46-66) in the eight-team league, but won a wild card
playoff berth. The Lassies took the first round from Kenosha, two to zero games, but were swept in the next round by Grand Rapids in three games.
as a hobby, to become a distinguished horsewoman at a high level. In the 1960s, she was well known for her championships in the Central Ohio Saddle Club Association with Chico's Flame, one of the best Morgan horse
s. In many ways, she characterized the quality of athlete and the type of woman who helped make history, and her contributions will never not be forgotten. She died in Spencer, Ohio
, at the age of 62.
Dorothy McAlpin Maguire Chapman was inducted into the Ohio Hall of Fame in 2010. She also is part of Women in Baseball, the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
, which was inaugurated on November 5, in honor of the entire league rather than individual baseball personalities. Since then, the Hall of Fame has organized a series of special programs and events to honor the historic role of women in baseball. In 2006, the Mother's Day
slate was highlighted by the unveiling of an outdoor statue paying tribute to the legacy of the AAGPBL. In total, over 50 women baseball figures attended the event, including former AAGPBL members and younger players as Ila Borders
and Julie Croteau
. The Statue, named At Bat, was created by sculptor Stanley Bleifeld from a picture of Mickey taking her batting stance. The commemorative outdoor sculpture is located in what is known as Cooper Park, just a few yards away from a pair of existing statues that honor the Brooklyn Dodgers
' 1955 World Series
championship.
Fielding
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
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:...
. Maguire batted and threw right-handed. She also played under the name of Dorothy Chapman.
Career summary
An All-Star catcher, Dorothy Maguire was one of the sixty original members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. While only a modest hitter at the plate, Maguire displayed considerable skill in handling pitcherPitcher
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...
s and an ability to understand the strategy of the game. She achieved a playoff berth in six of her seven seasons in the league, including the championship teams in 1943 and 1945, though she played with three different teams based in four different cities, because the league shifted players as needed to help teams stay afloat. Her life was full of energy, excitement, and risks unfamiliar to many women through the years, as she worked in cabbage fields during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, raised horses, worked in factories, and drove taxi cabs in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
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...
. She was dubbed Mickey after Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
catcher Mickey Cochrane
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane was a professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...
, due to her tenacity to accomplish any task she set out to do and her amazingly warm-hearted spirit.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was introduced in the spring of 1943, featuring young women with both athletic ability and feminine appeal. 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...
, Philip K. Wrigley
Philip 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...
was in charge both of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. 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. Wrigley decided to found 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:...
as a promotional sideline to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting Major League rosters of first-line players. Arthur Meyerhoff
Arthur Meyerhoff
Arthur E. Meyerhoff was an advertising agency executive and entrepreneur. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.Meyerhoff founded his own agency, Arthur Meyerhoff Associates, in 1932 after persuading the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company that he could arrange for newspapers to place advertisements for Wrigley...
, Wrigley's advertising director, was given the responsibility of coordinating operations with city officials and civic leaders in the communities, as well as a projected budget was developed. Hundreds of girls were eager to play in the new league, and 280 were invited to final tryouts 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, Illinois. Of those, sixty were selected as the first women to play on the first four teams: the 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 had fifteen players, a manager, a business manager and a female chaperone. Players in the AAGBBL made between $50 and $125 a week during a three-month, 108-game season, which were generous in comparison to those for other work at the time. The average full-time worker made $1,299 a year in the 1940s, according to one estimate, or about $25 a week. Most AAGPBL games were played at night, including the All-Star game of the inaugural season on July 1, 1943, which also was the first contest played under artificial illumination at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The league made an auspicious debut, averaging about 1,000 fans per game in 1943, while attracting about 210,000 for the entire year. Early in the 1944 season, it became evident that the war would not force major league baseball to disband, and Wrigley lost interest in the project. During the offseason, Wrigley sold the league to his Chicago advertising executive, Arthur Meyerhoff
Arthur Meyerhoff
Arthur E. Meyerhoff was an advertising agency executive and entrepreneur. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.Meyerhoff founded his own agency, Arthur Meyerhoff Associates, in 1932 after persuading the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company that he could arrange for newspapers to place advertisements for Wrigley...
. It was under Meyerhoff management that expansion and the publicity campaign of the AAGPBL reached its peak. The circuit excelled in attendance and performing during the 1948 season, when 10 teams attracted 910,000 paid fans, but by 1954, attendance dropped to only 270,000, dooming the league to extinction. It was a neglected chapter of sports history, at least until 1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
, when 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...
premiered her 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 fiction
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,...
alized account of activities in the AAGPBL that brought a rejuvenated interest to the extinct league.
Maguire was born Dorothy Maime McAlpin in LaGrange, Ohio
LaGrange, Ohio
LaGrange is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:LaGrange is located at ....
, and grew up 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 neighborhood kids at an early age, most of them boys, but did not start participating organized baseball until she was 16. At this time, a tool shop in Elyria, Ohio
Elyria, Ohio
-Community:Elyria has an extensive, although financially burdened, community food pantry and "Hot Meals" program administered through the Second Harvest Food Bank and several churches Elyria is served by Elyria Memorial Hospital.-Recreation and parks:...
made special arrangements to work around child labor rules so that she could play with them. She then joined the Erin Brew, a perennial champion fastpitch
Fastpitch softball
Fast-pitch softball is a form of softball played commonly by women and men, though coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. The International Softball Federation is the international governing body of softball...
team based in Cleveland, where she was discovered by an AAGPBL 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...
. She was invited to assist to final tryouts at Wrigley Field. Following a week and a half of drills, she was allocated to the Racine Belles, a team managed
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
by hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
legend Johnny Gottselig
Johnny Gottselig
John Gottselig was a professional ice hockey left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League between 1928 and 1946. He was the second player born in the Russian Empire to play in the NHL, as well as the first European-born head coach in the league's...
.
Maguire enjoyed a good first season. She shared catching duties with Irene Hickson
Irene Hickson
Irene Hickson was a catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 116 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
, while the Belles claimed the first Championship Title in the league's history. Racine was characterized by strong pitching, solid defense, timely hitting and speed on the bases. Mary Nesbitt
Mary Nesbitt Wisham
Mary Nesbitt [Choo-Choo] is a former pitcher and first basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 155 lb., Nesbitt batted and threw left handed. She was born Marie Crews Nesbitt in Greenville, South Carolina...
posted a 26-13 record in the regular season, while Joanne Winter
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter [Jo] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
finished with a 11-11 mark to give Racine a strong one-two pitching staff. The offensive was led by Eleanor Dapkus
Eleanor Dapkus
Eleanor Dapkus [Wolf] was a center fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 160 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Women in baseball:...
, who hit a league-lead 10 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. The speedy Sophie Kurys
Sophie 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:...
stole
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...
a league-best 44 bases and scored
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...
60 runs, while Margaret Danhauser
Margaret Danhauser
Margaret L. Danhauser [Marnie] was a first basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed.-Career:...
, Maddy English
Maddy English
Madeline Catherine English [Maddy] was a third basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., English batted and threw right-handed...
, Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick [Edie] was a left fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
and Claire Schillace
Claire Schillace
Claire Joan Schillace was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. In the Championship Series, the Belles defeated the Comets, winners of the second half, 3 games to 0. Maguire hit .269 in 70 games, 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...
33 runs while scoring
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...
34 times. She also appeared in the All-Star game during the midseason, which was played between two teams composed of Belles and Comets players against Blue Sox and Peaches players.
Two new teams joined the league in 1944, 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...
. Maguire started the season with the expansion Chicks as their regular catcher, appearing in 109 of the 117 games of her team. She married Tom Maguire, who was reported killed in action during wartime in the month of June. Maguire received a call just before a game from her Mother, but kept the news to herself and entered the field of play. After completing the game, she reported the news to the press. Then, she received a couple of letters from him in August from a hospital in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, explaining that he had not been identified for that time and was presumed dead. This event provided partial inspiration for the character of catcher Dottie Hinson, portrayed by actress Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
in the film A League of Their Own.
That season, Maguire dropped to .191 with 40 runs and 39 RBI, but her biggest strength was the ability to handle pitchers and call the game, while showing a solid defense and a strong throwing arm. The Chicks were a well balanced squad that counted with talented pitchers as Josephine Kabick
Josephine Kabick
Josephine Kabick [Jo] was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 142 lb., Kabick batted and threw right-handed...
(26-19) and Connie Wisniewski
Connie Wisniewski
Constance Wisniewski was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(23-10). The offensive support came from Merle Keagle
Merle Keagle
Merle Patricia Keagle was a center fielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 2", 144 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
, who led the AAGPBL hitters with seven 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 and 145 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....
, while hitting .264 with 47 RBI. A daring base runner, 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....
established at second base as a flashy defender who made outstandings plays routinely, being considered the spark plug of the team.
With Max Carey
Max Carey
Max George Carey was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who starred for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961...
at the helm, the Chicks went 30-26 in the first half of the year, but dominated the second half (40-19) and had the best overall record (70-45). They then went on to win the Championship Title, beating Kenosha in seven playoff games. Although the Chicks won the title, they had no local financial backing and could not compete with the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league baseball team)
The Milwaukee Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They played in the American Association from 1902 through 1952.-A Milwaukee Tradition:...
. In fact, the Chicks were forced to play all seven games of the series at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium because the Brewers were using the Borchert Field
Borchert Field
Borchert Field was a baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the home field for several professional baseball clubs for most of the years from 1888 through 1952....
in Milwaukee. In addition, the high ticket prices charged for AAGPBL games failed to encourage significant fan support. Due to lack of community support and skepticism of journalists, the Chicks moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
prior to the 1945 season.
Two teams were added in the AAGPBL’s 110-game 1945 regular season, 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...
and 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....
. Maguire continued her stellar play with the Chicks at Grand Rapids, helping her team to reach the playoffs. She also contributed with a .159 average in 99 games, driving in 20 runs while scoring 35 times. The Chicks finished third with a 60-50 record, but lost in the first round to Rockford, three to one games.
In 1946 the AAGPBL acquired franchises for two more teams, 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....
and the 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....
. A four-team minor league also was established in Chicago as the Chicago Girls Baseball League (CGBL), while the spring training camp was moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
. Maguire was dealt to the Lassies in order to establish the new team, which was managed by Buzz Boyle
Buzz Boyle
Ralph Francis Boyle , was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers . Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Boyle batted and threw left handed...
. She posted career-numbers in hits (74), runs (42) and RBI (47), while hitting a .218 average in 101 games, a pretty good performance considering Muskegon finished sixth the eight-team league with a losing record of 46-66.
In April 1947, all of the league’s players were flown to Havana, Cuba, for 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...
. At the time, the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
trained in Havana because Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, who would be the first Afro-American to play in the Major Leagues, was training with the Dodgers for the first time. City ordinances in Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
, where the Dodgers normally trained, prevented blacks and whites from competing on the same field against each other. Notably, newspaper stories from Havana indicate that the All-American girls drew larger crowds for their exhibition games in Havana than did the Dodgers. Maguire saw little action with the Lassies that year, but still to manage a .216 average with 28 runs and 24 RBI in just 75 games due to an injury. Muskegon improved considerably under new manager, 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...
, to win a close pennant race with a fine 69-43 record, backed by a strong performance from outfielder/pitcher 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....
, who hit a third-best .280 average with 31 runs and 41 RBI in 107 games, and posted a 11-4 pitching record with a respectable 0.93 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...
, to finish second only to Grand Rapids' Mildred Earp
Mildred Earp
Mildred Earp [Mid or Millie] is a former female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 135 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
(.068). Sams was named Player of the Year, but Muskegon fell in the first round of the playoffs, dropping 3 of 4 games to Racine.
For the 1948 season, the AAGPBL expanded to a historical peak of ten teams divided into Eastern and Western Divisions. That year, Maguire returned in good form, playing all but one game for her team. She hit a career-low .155 (58-for-373) with 58 runs and 30 RBI in 124 games, but recorded career-numbers in at-bats and game appearances. Muskegon remained strong, finishing 67-58 for the second-best record in the eastern division, but fell in the first round of the playoffs to Grand Rapids by a 3-1 margin.
Maguire was divorced in 1947. After married George Chapman in 1949, she decided to retire at the end of the season. Used sparingly, she hit .148 in only 17 games. Muskegon, now managed by Carson Bigbee
Carson Bigbee
Carson Lee "Skeeter" Bigbee was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was born in Lebanon, Oregon, and attended the University of Oregon....
, fell back to sixth place (46-66) in the eight-team league, but won a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
playoff berth. The Lassies took the first round from Kenosha, two to zero games, but were swept in the next round by Grand Rapids in three games.
After baseball
Following her baseball career, Mickey raised six children from 1950 to 1959 with husband George but became a single mother in 1963. She also entered into horse trainingHorse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when asked to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse racing to therapeutic horseback riding for people with...
as a hobby, to become a distinguished horsewoman at a high level. In the 1960s, she was well known for her championships in the Central Ohio Saddle Club Association with Chico's Flame, one of the best Morgan horse
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
s. In many ways, she characterized the quality of athlete and the type of woman who helped make history, and her contributions will never not be forgotten. She died in Spencer, Ohio
Spencer, Ohio
Spencer is a village in Spencer Township located in Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 747 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Spencer is located at ....
, at the age of 62.
Dorothy McAlpin Maguire Chapman was inducted into the Ohio Hall of Fame in 2010. She also is part of Women in Baseball, 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...
, which was inaugurated on November 5, in honor of the entire league rather than individual baseball personalities. Since then, the Hall of Fame has organized a series of special programs and events to honor the historic role of women in baseball. In 2006, the Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
slate was highlighted by the unveiling of an outdoor statue paying tribute to the legacy of the AAGPBL. In total, over 50 women baseball figures attended the event, including former AAGPBL members and younger players as Ila Borders
Ila Borders
Ila Borders , is a former left-handed pitcher in college and independent professional baseball player.-Biography:Borders was the first woman pitcher to start a men's NCAA or NAIA college baseball game, playing for Southern California College in the 1994-96 seasons and Whittier College in the 1997...
and Julie Croteau
Julie Croteau
Julie Croteau is recognized as the first woman to play men’s NCAA baseball, as well as the first woman to coach men’s NCAA Division I baseball. She is one of two women to ever play in an Major League Baseball-sanctioned winter league, and her baseball glove and photo are on permanent display at the...
. The Statue, named At Bat, was created by sculptor Stanley Bleifeld from a picture of Mickey taking her batting stance. The commemorative outdoor sculpture is located in what is known as Cooper Park, just a few yards away from a pair of existing statues that honor the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
' 1955 World Series
1955 World Series
The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won in Brooklyn . The last time the Brooklyn franchise won a World...
championship.
Career statistics
Batting| 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... | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 595 | 1906 | 222 | 370 | 30 | 16 | 3 | 185 | 243 | 206 | 149 | .194 | .273 | .231 |
Fielding
| 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,... | PO | A Assist (baseball) In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional... | E 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 ... | TC 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... | DP 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".... | FA Fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 574 | 1922 | 525 | 190 | 2637 | 56 | .928 |