Marge Callaghan
Encyclopedia
Margaret Callaghan Maxwell (born December 23, 1921) was an infielder
who played from 1944-1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 3", 112 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Vancouver
, Callaghan was one of the fifty seven girls from Canada
who played in the AAGPBL during its 12 year history. A light hitter, she only topped the .200 mark in batting average
twice her entire career, hitting .196 in eight AAGPBL seasons with four different teams. But Callaghan had an uncanny ability to get on base, by any means, way above than the pure hability to get the hit, reaching first base by walks
, by a bunt single or being hit
by the pitcher. Incidentally, the relatively low batting averages from the 1943 season through 1947, before a smaller ball was introduced in 1948, reflect mainly the high quality of the AAGPBL pitcher
s, rather than a lack of skills by the hitters. In addition, Gallagan stoled
283 bases and posted a solid .319 on-base percentage. On the field, she divided her time between playing second base and third
for a collective .921 fielding percentage
.
Callaghan is one of five children (three sisters and two brothers) into the family of Albert and Hazel (née Terryberry) Callaghan, of Irish
ancestry. She grew up in a home where baseball
was considered of vital importance, as her younger sister Helen
teamed up with her in the AAGPBL and her nephew Casey Candaele
played in Major League Baseball
. Athletically inclined, Marge and Helen filled their student days at King Edward High School
participating in almost every sport the school had to offer, competing in track and field
, basketball
, lacrosse
, volleyball
, soccer and field hockey
. The sisters also played softball
for the Vancouver Western Mutual team and performed at the 1943 World Series Softball tournament held at Detroit, Michigan
, where they were recruited by a AAGPBL scout.
Callaghan entered the league in 1944 with the Minneapolis Millerettes
, playing for them one year before joining the Fort Wayne Daisies
(1945–48), South Bend Blue Sox
(1949), Peoria Redwings
(1950-'51) and Battle Creek Belles
(1951). As a rookie
, she hit .182 while playing third base. She improved to .196 in 1945 and reached the playoffs, but Fort Wayne lost to the Rockford Peaches
in the final series, four to one games. In 1946 she batted .188 with a .355 on-base percentage, including career-highs in stolen bases (80) and walks (88), while tying for sixth in runs scored
(70).
Callaghan enjoyed a good season in 1947 while moving to second base, when she hit .201 with a 331 OBP and 57 stolen bases, and belted her third and last career home run
. She slipped to .187 and 42 steals in 1948, but set a career-high .945 fielding percentage. During the playoffs, she hit .123 with one homer and five runs, as the Daisies lost again to Rockford in the finals, four to one games. In 1949 she hit .169 with South Bend and made her last playoff appearance. She batted .157 for Peoria in 1950, and returned to third base in 1951. her last year in the league. She divided her playing time between Peoria and Battle Creek, hitting a career-high .236 with 26 steals and a .339 OBP.
The 1992 film A League of Their Own
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.
Marge and Helen Callaghan are part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. The sisters also received honorary inductions into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1998) and the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (2008). Helen died in 1992 at the age of 69. Marge is still living at her homeland of Vancouver.
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...
who played from 1944-1951 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' 3", 112 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Callaghan was one of the fifty seven girls from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who played in the AAGPBL during its 12 year history. A light hitter, she only topped the .200 mark in 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 :...
twice her entire career, hitting .196 in eight AAGPBL seasons with four different teams. But Callaghan had an uncanny ability to get on base, by any means, way above than the pure hability to get the hit, reaching first base by walks
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...
, by a bunt single or being hit
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
by the pitcher. Incidentally, the relatively low batting averages from the 1943 season through 1947, before a smaller ball was introduced in 1948, reflect mainly the high quality of the AAGPBL pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s, rather than a lack of skills by the hitters. In addition, Gallagan stoled
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...
283 bases and posted a solid .319 on-base percentage. On the field, she divided her time between playing second base and third
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
for a collective .921 fielding percentage
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...
.
Callaghan is one of five children (three sisters and two brothers) into the family of Albert and Hazel (née Terryberry) Callaghan, of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry. She grew up in a home where baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
was considered of vital importance, as her younger sister Helen
Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
teamed up with her in the AAGPBL and her nephew Casey Candaele
Casey Candaele
Casey Todd Candaele is a former Major League Baseball player from 1986 to 1997 for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Indians. Candaele was known as a versatile utility player who could play many infield and outfield positions. His mother, Helen Callaghan St...
played in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Athletically inclined, Marge and Helen filled their student days at King Edward High School
King Edward VI High School for Girls
King Edward VI High School for Girls is an independent secondary school in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and occupies the same site as, and is twinned with, King Edward's School...
participating in almost every sport the school had to offer, competing in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, soccer and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
. The sisters also played softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
for the Vancouver Western Mutual team and performed at the 1943 World Series Softball tournament held at Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, where they were recruited by a AAGPBL scout.
Callaghan entered the league in 1944 with 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...
, playing for them one year before joining 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...
(1945–48), 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...
(1949), 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....
(1950-'51) and Battle Creek Belles
Battle Creek Belles
The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(1951). As a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, she hit .182 while playing third base. She improved to .196 in 1945 and reached the playoffs, but Fort Wayne lost to the 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....
in the final series, four to one games. In 1946 she batted .188 with a .355 on-base percentage, including career-highs in stolen bases (80) and walks (88), while tying for sixth in runs 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...
(70).
Callaghan enjoyed a good season in 1947 while moving to second base, when she hit .201 with a 331 OBP and 57 stolen bases, and belted her third and last 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...
. She slipped to .187 and 42 steals in 1948, but set a career-high .945 fielding percentage. During the playoffs, she hit .123 with one homer and five runs, as the Daisies lost again to Rockford in the finals, four to one games. In 1949 she hit .169 with South Bend and made her last playoff appearance. She batted .157 for Peoria in 1950, and returned to third base in 1951. her last year in the league. She divided her playing time between Peoria and Battle Creek, hitting a career-high .236 with 26 steals and a .339 OBP.
The 1992 film A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
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.
Marge and Helen Callaghan are part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. The sisters also received honorary inductions into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1998) and the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (2008). Helen died in 1992 at the age of 69. Marge is still living at her homeland of Vancouver.