Mamie Johnson
Mamie "Peanut" Johnson (born September 27, 1935) was one of three women, and the first female pitcher, to play in the Negro Leagues. She was born in Ridgeway, South Carolina in 1935. She was signed by the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953, played with the team from 1953 to 1955, had a 33–8 won-loss record and a batting average of .273.[1]
Johnson was known as "Peanut" during her career due to her height—5 feet, 3 inches.[2] She is the subject of the book A Strong Right Arm, describing her life growing up and the obstacles to her becoming a professional Negro League baseball player.
After retiring, she went to nursing school and became a nurse for 30 years.[3]
On June 5, 2008, Johnson and other living players from the Negro League Era were drafted by major league franchises prior to the 2008 MLB First year Draft. Johnson was selected by the Washington Nationals.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Voss, Emily (March 12, 2013). "Mamie "Peanut" Johnson broke barriers in Negro Leagues". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ Schwarz, Alan. "Breaking Gender Barriers in the Negro Leagues". The New York Times. June 11, 2010.
- ↑ Ford, Sam (October 1, 2012). "Mamie Johnson, baseball trailblazer, hopes for local baseball field". WJLA. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ Hill, Justice B. "Special Negro Leagues Draft, Team-by-team rundown of upcoming selections". MLB.com. 30 May 2008. Web. 24 July 2012.
- Green, Michelle Y. (2002). A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-8037-2661-1. OCLC 46671140.
- "Mamie Johnson". Bullpen. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- Payson-Denney, Wade (2003-09-12). "Power-Packed 'Peanut' One of the Great Players of the Game that Most :) Experts Don't Even Know". Retrieved 2007-04-20.
External links
- Mamie "Peanut" Johnson's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project