Amy Applegren
Amy Irene Applegren | |
---|---|
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | |
Pitcher / Infielder | |
Born: Peoria, Illinois | November 16, 1926|
Died: April 3, 2011 Washington, Illinois | (aged 84)|
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
debut | |
1944 | |
Last appearance | |
1953 | |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Amy Irene "Lefty" Applegren (November 16, 1926 – April 3, 2011) was an American baseball pitcher and infielder who played from 1944 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'4, 125 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.[1]
Early life
Born in
AAGPBL career
Applegren joined the AAGPBL in 1944 with the Rockford Peaches, playing for them two years. A hard-thrower underhand lefty, Applegren posted a 16–15 record for Rockford in her season debut and went 13-11 the next year, as part of a pitching rotation that included Carolyn Morris and Jean Cione. In the interim, she graduated from Peoria Manual High School.[6]
The Peaches, with Bill Allington at the helm, clinched the league title in 1945 with a 67–43 record and later defeated the Fort Wayne Daisies in the best-of-seven series, four to one games, behind a strong pitching effort from Morris (3-0) and the opportune hitting of Dorothy Kamenshek (6-for-21, .285).[2][7][8][9]
Applegren opened 1946 with the expansion Muskegon Lassies, managed by Buzz Boyle, as the league usually switched players as needed to help new teams to be competitive. Nevertheless, the Lassies went 46-66 their first year, good enough for a modest sixth place in the now eight-team league. Applegren struggled to an 8–18 record, even though she hurled a no-hitter against the Grand Rapids Chicks on July 31.[2][10][11]
The first AAGPBL
Muskegon, now managed by legendary Bill Wambsganss, saw a vast improvement in 1947. Besides Applegren, the revamped Lassies included top notch players as Jo Lenard (OF), Dorothy Maguire (C), Charlene Pryer (IF), Doris Sams (OF/P), Dorothy Stolze (IF), Nancy Warren (P) and Evelyn Wawryshyn (IF), among others. Muskegon (69-43) won a close pennant race with the Grand Rapids Chicks (65-47), having three of the top four leaders in earned run average with Sams (0.98), Applegren (1.06) and Warren (1.13), but failed in the first round of the playoffs dropping 3 of 4 games to the Racine Belles.[10][13]
In 1948 Applegren moved to
Applegren played for the Peaches through 1952, being part of the champion teams in 1949 and 1950, and joined the South Bend Blue Sox in 1953 for her last AAGPBL season.[16][17]
With their fourth Championship Title the Rockford team set an all-time record in the league. Applegren was a member of three Peaches champion teams (including her 1945 season), being glorified for the same feat by Eleanor Callow, Lois Florreich and Ruth Richard (all of them did it from 1948 through 1950). Nevertheless, the four girls were surpassed by the eternal Rose Gacioch, who did it in 1945 and from 1948 to 1950, to set an all-time record for the most championship titles for a player while playing in the same team.[10]
Life after baseball
Following her baseball days, Applegren returned to Peoria and worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company as a data entry clerk for insurance benefits. She retired in 1985, after 19 years of work. Applegren, who never married, lived with her mother and took care of her. After retiring from Caterpillar she enjoyed playing golf and bowling.[2][18][19]
In the early 1980s, a group of former members of the league led by
Amy Applegren died in Washington, Illinois, on April 3, 2011, at the age of 83.[21]
Career statistics
Pitching
GP | W | L | W-L% | ERA | IP | H | RA | ER | BB | SO | WHIP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
206 | 86 | 98 | .467 | 2.52 | 1451 | 905 | 586 | 407 | 880 | 501 | 1.23 |
Batting
GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
234 | 1007 | 102 | 237 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 61 | 72 | 66 | .235 |
Fielding
PO |
A | E | TC | DP | FA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2435 | 535 | 90 | 3060 | 86 | .971 |
Sources
- ^ "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Amy Irene Applegren". Archived from the original on 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Washington Times Reporter – Amy Applegren Interview". Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-2100-8
- ^ "A Bibliography of Smithsonian Magazine: 1980–1989". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ a b c "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League History". Archived from the original on 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b "Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ 1944 Rockford Peaches Archived 2019-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3747-4
- ^ 1945 Rockford Peaches Archived 2019-03-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b c d All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
- ^ 1946 Muskegon Lassies Archived 2019-03-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Photo Gallery". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ 1947 Muskegon Lassies Archived 2018-12-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ 1948 Muskegon Lassies Archived 2019-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ 1949 Rockford Peaches Archived 2019-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ 1950 Rockford Peaches Archived 2019-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ 1953 South Bend Blue Sox Archived 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball
- ^ The Diamond Angle – Amy Applegren Interview Archived May 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "IMDb.com – A League of Their Own (1992 film)". Archived from the original on 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ^ "Legacy.com website – obituary". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2011-04-07.