Today in Herstory: Jackie Mitchell Strikes Out Baseball’s Greats (2 april 19310
Today in Herstory: Jackie Mitchell Strikes Out Baseballs Greats
April 2, 1931: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig struck out today, felled by a teenager who needed only seven pitches to earn herself a place in baseball history.
Jackie Mitchell, signed for the season on March 28th by Tennessees Chattanooga Lookouts, a Class AA minor league team, pitched her legendary sinker in an annual exhibition game with the New York Yankees, on their way home from Spring Training in Florida.
Since Major League baseball teams are an Eastern and Midwestern phenomenon (no clubs farther South than Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati and none farther West than St. Louis), Southern fans always pack the stands for the rare opportunity to see big league ballplayers locally even if its only for practice. The contest here always attracts a good deal of attention from the local press and comments made yesterday by the Sultan of Swat clearly increased the publics interest even more.
According to Ruth: I dont know whats going to happen if they let women play in baseball. Of course, they never will make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball every day. Despite his confidence, he did seem concerned enough to ask a reporter: By the way, how big is she? When told she was five feet eight inches tall, he simply said: Well, I dont know what things are coming to. He found out today.
After the starting pitcher gave up a double and a run-scoring single, Mitchell was sent in just as it became Ruths turn at bat. Her first pitch was a ball, but the next two were right over the plate. Though the Bambino gave them his best swings, it was to no avail. He then demanded that the umpire inspect the ball. It was found to be in perfectly legal condition, so whatever tricks it was playing on the Babe were due solely to the pitchers skill.
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http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2015/04/02/today-in-herstory-jackie-mitchell-strikes-out-baseballs-greats/