Doris L. Satterfield 'Sadie''(July 27, 1926 – November 4, 1993) was a

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

and

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

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 ...

. She batted and threw right-handed. A three-time All-Star, Doris Satterfield established herself as one of the most feared hitters in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in a span of eight years. A member of three champion teams, she ranks seventh in the all-time list with

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

and eleventh with a .271

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 ...

. In addition, she provided a stellar defense at outfield combined with a good and secure throwing arm.

Early life

Born in

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small Suburb, suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi ...

, Satterfield started playing

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

by the age of eleven. She joined the city league at age fifteen, and for three years took part in the National Softball Tournament held at

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

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. She was noticed by scouts for the AAGPBL and offered a contract, but she decided to finish school first and earned a

Bachelor of Science in Nursing The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) also known in some countries as a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) or Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Nursing is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited ...

degree.

AAGPBL

Satterfield joined the league in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

with the Grand Rapids Chicks, playing for them her entire career in the circuit. Usually, she batted

cleanup Cleanup, clean up or clean-up may refer to: * Cleanup (animation), a stage of animation workflow * Clean-up (environment), environmental action to remove litter from a place * Cleanup hitter, a baseball position * Clean-up Records, a record la ...

because of her ability to clear the bases with runners in scoring position. By April 1947, all of the league's players were flown to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

outside the

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, as part of a plan to create an International League of Girls Baseball. The Chicks roster, managed by Johnny Rawlings, included top notch players such as Mildred Earp, Alice Haylett, Ruth Lessing, Ruth Richard, Jane Stoll, Inez Voyce, Connie Wisniewski and Alma Ziegler. In the final Series, Earp pitched a four-hit, 1–0

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

against 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 ...

to win decisive Game 7. In 1949, Satterfield led the league with 22 doubles. She earned her first All-Star berth in 1950, repeating in 1953 and 1954, while the Chicks, with Woody English at the helm, won their second title in 1953, two to zero games, against the

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 ...

.Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball During the 1950 season, Satterfield spoiled a

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

bid by

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 ...

pitching great Dorothy Wiltse in the seventh inning, smacking a clean single to center field. In her last season, she posted career-numbers in average (.295) and RBI (79).All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book

Life after baseball

In addition, Satterfield and teammate Connie Wisniewski opened a small burger joint near the Grand Rapids theater. Called the Chicks Dugout, the business was moderately successful and the partners eventually sold it for a profit. She also worked as a nurse until her retirement in 1988. Since 1988 Satterfield is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 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 S ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than individual baseball personalities. She died in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, at the age of 67.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Satterfield, Doris All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Grand Rapids, Michigan People from Belmont, North Carolina Baseball players from Gaston County, North Carolina 1926 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American sportswomen