Was there ever a girl in major league baseball?

Answer 1

Major League Baseball has never had a female player.

If there ever is a woman signed to play, she'll probably be a knuckleball pitcher.

EDIT: The closest a woman has come to playing in Major League Baseball -- and it wasn't that close -- was Eleanor Engle in 1952. She was signed by the Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Senators, an unaffiliated team in the Class B Interstate League in June. The move caused predictable uproar, and wasn't very popular. The league president, with support from MLB Commissioner Ford Frick, annulled the contract. Engle had practiced with the team but never played in competition (her ballplaying skills were unknown -- she didn't play in the AAGPBL, which was operating at the time -- but even for a publicity stunt, the team owner likely didn't sign a woman with no skills whatsoever).

Engle left the team and quietly moved on with her life. She's still alive (as of March, anyway) and tends to be hesitant but willing to talk about her baseball episode.

Contemporaneous editorial in The Sporting News, representative of professional sports attitudes at the time: http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/education/primary_sources/women/article_02_Transcript.htm

Short biography of Engle, mainly her baseball "career": http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Eleanor_Engle

And a good article written last month: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070308&content_id=188776&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

In 1991, Topps printed a set of cards, mostly reprinting its original 1953 set (officially "1991 Topps Archives 1953"). Topps finally managed to secure rights from Engle and printed one card of her -- the picture is fairly dramatic: http://www.prismnet.com/~tjwhite/pics/engle.jpg
The card is easily found on eBay.

Harrisburg finished dead last and the team and league disbanded after the 1952 season.

EDIT#2: The White Sox didn't draft Fisk's daughter; they drafted (in the 1993 draft, 43th round) Carey Schueler, daughter of then-Sox GM Ron Schueler, mainly to thumb the front office's nose at Fisk, as they were not getting along at all well (Fisk's kid had some talent).

Answer 2

No, no women have ever played in the majors, but there have been instances of women playing professional baseball in the same league with men. While some others here have mentioned the AAGPBL, which was in existence from 1943 - 1954, this was a league with only female players. As you may know, at the same time, African-American players were not allowed to play in the majors, but played in the ***** Leagues. One of the ***** League teams, the Indianapolis Clowns, had three women playing baseball against the men. Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, Connie Morgan, and Tori Stone each played second base for the Clowns.

More recently, from 1997-1999, a woman named Ila Borders pitched for an independent men's minor league called the Northern League. She pitched in the league for three years.

From 1994-1997, there was a women's professional team called the Colorado Silver Bullets. This team toured the country playing against men's teams. You can read about them at coloradosilverbullets.org

So, no, no women have played Major League Baseball. But a number of excellent female baseball players have played over the years. Maybe the first woman to play in the majors is playing in Little League right now.

This is a really interesting topic. I highly recommend that you do more research into it.

Answer 3

Woman. Has there ever been a woman in MLB?

Only one woman has been drafted, the daughter of Carlton Fisk, in the late rounds one year, by the White Sox. The GM was making a point and doing a favour.

You need to learn a bit about the AAPGBL. Yes, it existed, for a full 10 years. (That's as long as the old American Assocation and far longer than any of the Federal League, the Players League, the Union Association or the National Association, each of which was a major league.) It was the subject of the ficionalized movie "A League of Their Own", and it existed.

Helen Callaghan, the earliest star of the league, was called the female Ted Williams. She was also the mother of former Expo, Astro and Indian Casey Candaele, and was a far better player than was her son.

Answer 4

i doubt it. There is no rule against female baseball players to join the big league but there isnt one talent enough to play with the guys. The girls does have softball league and Jenny Finch happened to be one of the best.

however there was All-American Girls Pro Baseball League during World War 2 where women play baseball.

"A League of Their Own is a 1992 film which tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL)" - Wikipedia

Answer 5

No. A couple women have played in the minor leagues and independent leagues, but none have ever made the majors.

Answer 6

yeah a league of their own was only a temporary league created with all women to make up for the lost entertainment of the MLB, since men were fighting a war. As far as a girl in the MLB, im not sure but i dont think so.

Answer 7

No...and there never will be. It's not sexist--it's fact. A woman cannot compete with MLB size,strength. Women and mens sport should never mix-it's not fair for women. That's why softball is around. The day I see a woman hit a 425 Ft Homer off of Johan Santana-get up in one piece from a homeplate collision with Frank Thomas or strike out Albert Pujols with a 99 MPH fastball...I will change my opinion.

Answer 8

Nope. They got professional softball. Go Chicago Bandits!

Um, for the person who talked about A League of Their Own, you must be an idiot. That wasn't professional major league baseball, it was a one-year stint league to cheer up American citizens and American troops fighting in the war, nothing to do with getting women into the majors.

Answer 9

Am I the only one who saw the movie A League of Their Own? It was based on a real team.

Answer 10

no, There has almost been a female umpire, but as far as I know, never. There should be a league just for women, but it would be like the WNBA, and not as popular as the original. Guys can just hit harder and run faster.