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AAGBL
Q: Can you tell me about the women's baseball league that was formed in 1943 as a result of a shortage of males due to the war effort?
-- Virginia Galt
A: The All-American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL) was the brainstorm of Chicago Cubs' owner Philip K. Wrigley. He intended it to be a softball league in which the teams would play in major-league stadiums while the men were away at war. The league consisted of four teams -- the Rockford Peaches, the South Bend Blue Sox, the Racine Belles, and the Kenosha Comets -- who played a 108-game schedule. It included over 500 female players, and some male managers, such as Jimmie Foxx,Bill Wambsganss, Max Carey, and Dave Bancroft, who had spent time in the major leagues. Total attendance for the first year was 176,000, and the number increased yearly until it reached its peak of over 900,000 fans in 1948.
Despite its increasing popularity, the AAGBL was eventually forced to dismantle in 1953 after organizational problems, the rise in popularity of men's baseball after the end of the war, and the social idea that women should return to the home after the men returned to their jobs.
In October 1988, the National Baseball Hall of Fame dedicated an exhibit to the AAGBL to honor the first truly successful women's baseball league.
Q: Who was the youngest player to win 20 games in a season?
-- jimrus79@aol.com
A: At 20 years, 282 days, Dwight Gooden became the youngest player to win 20 games in a season when he won his 20th for the New York Mets on August 25, 1985. Gooden went on to win the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins (24), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268), and won the Cy Young Award that season. Before Gooden, Cleveland Indians star Bob Feller had held the record at 20 years, 309 days.
Dahlen came to bat against Athletics starter Andy Coakley with the bases loaded and the Giants leading 4-0. After reaching on a fielder's choice which plated another run, Dahlen stole second, and moved to third on center fielder Art Devlin's single. With Giant runners on first and third, manager John McGraw decided to try a double steal. It ended up being successful as Devlin stole second and Dahlen stole home on the delay, making the score 7-0.
Since then, 12 other players have stolen home during World Series play, with the most recent being Tim McCarver, who did it for the St. Louis Cardinals on October 15, 1964.
A: The first black umpire in the major leagues was Emmett Ashford. He umped his first professional game on April 11, 1966, the season opener between the Washington Senators and the Cleveland Indians. Included in the 44,000+ fans on hand was Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Lou Piniella, Mickey Rivers, Roy White, and Catfish Hunter had started for the Yankees, but were replaced before the last inning. The Yankees won the game 7-2, with Hunter earning the win, and Don Sutton taking the loss for the Dodgers.
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