Doris "Dodie" Barr (August 26, 1921 – July 12, 2009) was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who played from through in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. Listed at 5' 6", 145 lb., Barr batted and threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply l ...

. She was born in Starbuck,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada.

Early life

Doris, daughter of Malcolm and Susan Barr, was just a small town girl before she found herself being swept up into the world of women's baseball at the height of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A dominant lefty hurler, she enjoyed a prolific career over eight seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, winning a League Championship title and earning three inductions into several baseball halls of fame across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The AAGBL flourished in the 1940s when the Major Leagues went on hold as men went to war. The league lasted a little over a decade, dismantling in 1954. Still, the void the league filled during wartime was inspiration enough for the 1992 film ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...

'', directed by

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for ...

and starred by

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Career

Barr started her baseball career in 1937 when she was just 16, after being spotted by

scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

while playing catch with her sister. That sparked a five-year stint in Canada, where she pitched for the Winnipeg Ramblers (1938–1939) and Regina Army and Navy Bombers (1940–1942). She was picked up by the AAGBL when she was 21, and earned a reputation as a powerful lefty hurler with a rocket of a throw. Barr entered the league in 1943 with the

South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix F ...

, playing for them three and a half years before joining the

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick F ...

(1946–1947),

Springfield Sallies The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who were members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1948 season and became a development team. The Sallies were based in Springfield, Illinois and playe ...

(1948),

Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season, representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. The league, its teams, and its story ...

(1949), Peoria Redwings (1950) and

Kalamazoo Lassies The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the ...

(1950). Her most productive season came in 1945, both for South Bend and Racine, when she posted career-numbers in wins (20),

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(1.71) and

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the to ...

(.714), while

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

104 in 31 pitching appearances. That same season, she also pitched the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in Racine history in a game against the

Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...

(July 1, 1945). In 1946 Barr helped Racine to a Championship after pitching the winning game that put them in the Play-Offs. The next season, he went 14–12 with a 2.26 ERA and 96 strikeouts, while in 1948 she recorded a 2.68 ERA with a career-high 116 strikeouts despite her 7–19 record for the Sallies. In an eight-season career, Barr posted a 79–94 record with a 3.16 ERA and 572 strikeouts in 218 games. She also helped herself with the bat, hitting a 2.69

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, and was a competent

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

er as well, collecting a .932 lifetime

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

Personal life

Barr retired in 1950 and settled into a life as an accountant at Grace Hospital in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, and later worked in the accounting department at the Health Sciences Centre. Eleven girls from Manitoba played in the AAGPBL, including Barr. All of them were inducted into the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

(1988), the

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum () is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates the great players, teams, and events from Canadian baseball history. History The museum was founded in November 1982 in ...

(1998), and the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame (1998). In addition, she gained induction in the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame (2004). Barr never married and did not have children. She died at Winnipeg, at the age of 87, and was buried in the Chapel Lawn Memorial Garden.

Statistics

Sources

* ''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. .

External links

AAGPBL - Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Doris All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Canadian baseball players People from Winnipeg Capital Region 1918 births 2009 deaths Baseball people from Manitoba Racine Belles (1943–1950) players South Bend Blue Sox players Springfield Sallies players Muskegon Lassies players Kalamazoo Lassies players Peoria Redwings players Canadian expatriates in the United States 21st-century American women