Jackie and Kitty
…it was a caper made in heaven
Bygone baseball by C. Philip Francis
Jackie
Bill Veeck was the unequaled showman of major league baseball, but there also was another hustling promoter in the minor leagues not far behind. He was Joe Engel, a pitcher for the Washington Senators in the early 1900’s, who later became known as the “Barnum of Baseball.” Joe once traded a shortstop for a turkey, and then invited reporters over for a turkey dinner, and that was just for starters. Veeck’s best stunt of many is probably the hiring of midget Eddie Gaedel, but Joe came close with a somewhat similar feat that also became part of baseball lore.
In the spring of 1931 the Class AA Chattanooga (TN) Lookouts signed a 17-year-old girl pitcher named Jackie Mitchell making her the second woman to affix her name to a professional baseball contract. The Lookouts were owned by – you guessed it - Joe Engel.
Years ago after spring training had ended the teams would work their way north by playing exhibition games with minor league, college, and town contingents. The New York Yankees were in Chattanooga, and with players like Ruth and Gehrig on one team and a teenage girl pitcher on the other, it was a caper made in heaven for Joe Engel. And so the Tennessee Barnum announced to all that Jackie Mitchell would pitch against the powerful bats of the Yankees.
The Lookout starter was Clyde Barfoot who quickly gave up a double and single before manager Niehoff yanked Barfoot, and brought in Jackie who would first face Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Tony Lazzari with the Yanks ahead 1-0 on the two earlier hits. Jackie took her customary warm-up pitches, but first took out a mirror and powder puff to touch up her nose. She then got down to business.
The first pitch was a ball followed by two weak swings at the next two pitches. Babe was called out as he watched the next ball split the plate belt high. The big guy threw his bat at the bench, and kicked at the dirt as he walked back to the dugout. It was now Lou’s turn. The Iron Horse was promptly set down on three straight strikes before Tony was given base on balls. Jackie was then removed from the game.
Was it a set-up or was it for real? No one will ever know as all involved are long gone, and you may have your own thoughts on the incident. I certainly do. Within the next twenty-four hours Jackie’s contract was voided, and she joined a team called the Junior Lookouts. She played with the barnstorming bearded House of David team for four years before she returned to Chattanooga. (Note: She probably did not need to wear a beard as a member of the House of David.) Later on she married Eugene Gilbert, retired, lost her husband, and lived a quiet life.
Jackie became a dim memory in the world of baseball until 1975 when the sports editor of The Chattanooga News – Free Press wrote a story about Jackie after receiving a letter asking, “Whatever happened to that girl who struck out Babe Ruth?” Jackie saw the article, and was soon back in the news getting “hundreds of letters from average people who wanted the Jackies of the world to win.” Jackie Mitchell Gilbert died in 1987 at the age of 73.
Kitty
On May 24, 1935, the first major league night game, the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 behind the six-hit pitching of Paul Derringer at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. Only 20,422 saw the historical event in a 30,000-seat ballpark. A month later the St. Louis Cardinals played their first game under the stars, also at the Cincinnati stadium with an overflowing crowd of more than 35,000. Reds general manager Larry MacPhail had sold many reserved tickets to fans in the nearby states of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana, in fact, thousands more than seats were available. Many had to watch the game behind ropes put up along the foul lines with fights and arguments continuing throughout the game. MacPhail had gone home leaving his secretary in charge.
With the Cardinals ahead 2-1 in the eighth amidst the chaos a local burlesque dancer named Kitty Burke ducked under the rope, grabbed the bat from the hands of Reds outfield Babe Herman, walked up to home plate, and dared Cards pitcher Paul Dean to put it over. After some thought, he tossed it underhand that Kitty hit back to Dean. He picked up the easy grounder, and threw her out at first.
St. Louis manager Frankie Frisch yelled that Kitty’s out should be counted, but he lost the argument as well as the game. Herman later said, “It was the first time a woman ever pitch-hit for me.” MacPhail sent a Cincinnati Reds uniform to Miss Burke who used it in her burlesque act billing herself as “the only girl who ever batted in the big leagues.”
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Epilogue: Eddie Gaedel, Bill Veeck’s midget who batted one time for the St. Louis Browns in 1951, was part of a well-planned promotional stunt and did have a valid player’s contract at the time. His name is in The Baseball Encyclopedia. Kitty’s at-bat was a momentarily impulsive act, and is not recognized in any official baseball records.