Josephine D'Angelo
Josephine D'Angelo | |
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Chicago, Illinois | |
Died: August 18, 2013 Park Ridge, Illinois | (aged 88)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Josephine "Jo Jo" D'Angelo (November 23, 1924 – August 18, 2013) was an American baseball left fielder who played from 1943 through 1944 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 0 in (152 cm), 135 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.[1][2]
She was one of the sixty original players to join the AAGPBL for its inaugural season. D'Angelo set an all-time record in the league for the fewest strikeouts in a single season. As an outfielder, she had sure hands and a strong and accurate arm for balls up the middle and double plays.[3]
Life
Born in
Following her graduation at
D'Angelo batted a .221 average with a .324 on-base percentage and 53 stolen bases in her rookie season. She appeared in a team second best 104 games, driving in 38 runs while scoring 62 times. She also finished ninth in the league in stolen bases and tied for seventh in runs scored. In a moment of the season, she made the headlines after hitting a home run to win a game for the Blue Sox.[7][8]
But D'Angelo developed prestige as the best contact hitter around when she struck out only three times in 358
She also appeared in the first AAGPBL All-Star Game on July 1, 1943, which coincidentally became the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. The contest was played under temporary lights between two teams composed of Kenosha and Racine players against Rockford and South Bend players.[9]
D'Angelo's contract was not renewed after the 1944 season. She later attributed this to a "butchy haircut" she was convinced to get by a hairstylist.[10][11][12] She next signed a contract with the National Girls Baseball League of Chicago. On the other hand, she continued her college education and obtained a bachelor's degree from DePaul University. She became a physical education teacher and later received a master's degree from Chicago State University, spanning a 34-year career in the Chicago Public Schools system until her retirement in 1980. This led to her working for ten years as a guidance counselor. In her spare time she enjoyed playing golf and actively contributed to society by volunteering in her community, but a knee replacement surgery in 1992 made her less mobile.[4][13]
Since 1988 she is part of Women in Baseball, a permanent display based at the
Career statistics
Batting
GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | TB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
144 | 499 | 73 | 100 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 62 | 119 | 67 | 11 | .200 | .295 | .238 |
Fielding
GP | PO |
A | E | TC | DP | FA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
144 | 204 | 27 | 11 | 242 | 8 | .955 |
Sources
- ^ a b "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Josephine D'Angelo". Retrieved 2019-03-29.
- ISBN 0-7864-3747-2
- ISBN 0-7864-3747-2
- ^ a b The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
- ISBN 0-7864-2100-2
- ^ All-American Girls Professional Baseball League History. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
- ^ a b c All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
- ^ 1943 South Bend Blue Sox. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
- ^ ESPN Page 2 – Reel Life: A League of Their Own - Article by Jeff Merron
- ^ a b "The Hidden Queer History Behind "A League of Their Own"". Narratively. 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
- ^ OCLC 1298165561.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ a b c Brydum, Sunnivie (2013-09-03). "JoJo D'Angelo, Real-life Inspiration for 'A League of Their Own,' Dies at 88". Pride. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball