In 1950 the league used a livelier 10 inches ball. Finally, the batting was able to take advantage of the pitching, when five hitters reached the .300 average mark for the year. Fort Wayne's rookieBetty Foss led the circuit with a .346 average, to set a new season mark.[2][3]
Nevertheless, three no-hitters were recorded in the season, two of them by Jean Cione of Kenosha during the month of August. Her first was a 12-inning gem against Grand Rapids, and the second came in a seven-inning shutout over Racine. Previously, Kenosha's Ruby Stephens had pitched a nine-inning no-no against the Lassies in July.[4][5]
The league returned to the Shaugnessy format during the playoffs, featuring the top four teams of the season. In the best-of-five first round, first place Rockford won Kenosha and second place Fort Wayne defeated fourth place Grand Rapids. The final series took all seven games to decide the champion team. After winning the first two games, Rockford lost the next two games to Fort Wayne. Rockford took a 3–2 advantage in Game 5, but Fort Wayne won the next contest to send the series to a seventh game. Finally, Rockford never gave Fort Wayne a chance at another upset and won the series, four to three games. Helen Nicol was credited with three of the four victories of Rockford in the finals, including a shutout in decisive Game 7. Bill Allington guided the Peaches to their third title in a row, fourth overall, to set two all-time records for a manager.[5][6]
In 1950 the AAGPBL declined in attendance for the second consecutive year. Poor financial management finally caught up to the league and it began to slide. At the end of the season, team directors voted to purchase the league from Arthur Meyerhoff and operate their teams independently. That season had been a nightmare for Muskegon, after registering the worst record in the circuit and a relocation during the midseason to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where the team was renamed the Kalamazoo Lassies. Besides this, the Racine franchise, a two-time champion and one of the four original teams, had to move to Battle Creek, Michigan. The team would be renamed the Battle Creek Belles for the next season.[7]
Teams
1950 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Teams
↑ All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Softcover, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN978-0-7864-3747-4
↑ Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball – Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Softcover, 438pp. ISBN0-7864-2100-2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] was an American starting pitcher who played from 1946 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m), 137 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Anna May Hutchison ["Hutch"] was a female pitcher and catcher who played from 1944 through 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 149 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Sometimes she is credited as Anna Mae Hutchison.
Jane Stoll ("Jeep") was an outfielder who played from 1946 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Dorothy Maguire was a catcher and outfielder who played from 1943 through 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Maguire batted and threw right-handed. She also played under the name of Dorothy Chapman.
Jean S. Cione [″Cy″] was a pitcher who played from 1945 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 143 lb., She batted and threw left-handed.
Thelma "Tiby" Eisen was an outfielder who played from 1944 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Margaret Holgerson was an American pitcher and infielder who played from 1946 to 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. After being married in 1948 she played under the name of Margaret Silvestri.
Naomi Meier [″Sally″] was an outfielder who played from 1946 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), 115 lb., Meier batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The 1943 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the inaugural season of the circuit. Since the only organized ball for women in the country was softball, the league created a hybrid game that included both softball and baseball.
The 1945 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the third season of the circuit. The action began with six teams, like the previous season. But the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes franchises were renamed the Grand Rapids Chicks and Fort Wayne Daisies respectively. The measure took effect for poor attendances in the cities of these teams the year before. At this point, the new clubs joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox, all founding members of the league. The six teams competed through a 110-game schedule, while the split season was dropped in favor of a longer playoff format with the Shaugnessy format: the one seed facing the three seed and the two seed against the four seed. In addition, the pitching distance increased from 40 to 42 feet during the midseason.
The 1946 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the fourth season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expansion brought two new franchises to the previous six-team format. At this point, the Muskegon Lassies and the Peoria Redwings joined the Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The eight teams competed through a 112-game schedule, while the final Shaugnessy playoffs faced season winner Racine against defending champion Rockford in a Best of Seven Series.
The 1947 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the fifth season of the circuit. The teams Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kenosha Comets, Muskegon Lassies, Peoria Redwings, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 112-game schedule. The final Shaugnessy playoffs faced second place Grand Rapids against third place Racine in a Best of Seven Series.
The 1948 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the sixth season of the circuit. The AAGPBL grew to an all-time peak of ten teams in that season, representing Eastern and Western zones, just in the first year the circuit shifted to strictly overhand pitching. Other modifications occurred during 1948. The ball was decreased in size from 11+1⁄2 inches (290 mm) to 10+3⁄8 inches (260 mm), while the base paths were lengthened to 72 feet and the pitching distance increased to 50 feet.
The 1949 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the seventh season of the circuit. With the Chicago Colleens and Springfield Sallies turning into rookie development teams after the 1948 season, the AAGPBL was left with eight squads: the Kenosha Comets, Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Muskegon Lassies, Peoria Redwings, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The teams competed through a 112-game schedule.
The 1951 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the ninth season of the circuit. The teams Battle Creek Belles, Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kalamazoo Lassies, Kenosha Comets, Peoria Redwings, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 112-game schedule, while the Shaugnessy playoffs featured the top four teams from each half of the regular season.
The 1952 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the tenth season of the circuit. The teams Battle Creek Belles, Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kalamazoo Lassies, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 110-game schedule, while the Shaugnessy playoffs featured the top four teams from each half of the regular season.
The 1953 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the eleventh season of the circuit. The teams Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kalamazoo Lassies, Muskegon Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 110-game schedule, while the Shaugnessy playoffs featured the top four teams. This time, the postseason was reduced to a best-of-three series for both rounds.
The 1954 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the twelfth and last season of the circuit. The AAGPBL was left with five teams after the Muskegon Belles franchise folded at the end of the past season. As a result, it was the lowest number of teams since its opening season in 1943. The Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kalamazoo Lassies, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 96-game schedule, while the Shaugnessy playoffs featured the top four teams in a best-of-three first round series, with the two winning teams facing in a best-of-five series to decide the championship.
Irene K. Kotowicz ["Ike"] was an American pitcher and outfielder who played from 1945 through 1950 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Margaret “Marge” Wenzell was a utility infielder/outfielder who played from 1945 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), 134 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
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