Ever since Jackie Mitchell was a child living in Memphis, Tennessee in the 1920's, she loved baseball. As soon as she could walk, she went with her father to the baseball diamond and learned how to play.
Her neighbor, Dazzy Vance, was a minor league player and taught her how to throw a "drop pitch". This pitch starts at one level and then drops right before reaching the plate. Jackie was only 6 years old when she learned how to throw a drop pitch.
When she was 16, Jackie played for a women's team in Chattanooga. She was so good that she was chosen to go to a special baseball school in Atlanta. The owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts Class AA men's baseball team saw her play. He offered her a contract. In late March, 1931, Jackie became the first female pitcher for a Class AA baseball team.
Only one week later, the New York Yankees stopped in Chattanooga on their way home from spring training in Florida to play an exhibition game.
After a few Yankee hits, the Lookouts' starting pitcher was pulled. Jackie was called in. Sure enough, Babe Ruth, one of the most famous baseball players of all time, was next to bat. Jackie's first pitch was high for a ball. But her next three pitches were strikes. The crowd went wild. A girl struck out Babe Ruth! Jackie followed this by also striking out Lou Gehrig, another powerful Yankee hitter.
A few days later and without a good reason, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Landis canceled her contract, saying that women were not fit to play baseball. He said that women were too delicate.
Jackie continued to play ball for a special baseball league, but quit at the age of 23. She felt that she was becoming more of a "side show" than a real baseball player. Even though she was only in professional baseball for a short time, she will always be remembered as "The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth."
Source: worksheetsplus.com/Reading/4thReadingSoortsJackie.html The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth
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