Ruby Knezovich ''Martz(March 18, 1918 – August 1, 1995) was a Canadian

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

who played from 1943 to 1944 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' 2", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

,Heaphy, Leslie A.; May, Mel Anthony 2006). McFarland & Company. Madden, W. C. (2005) ''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary''. McFarland & Company. Ruby Knezovich was one of the 68 players born in Canada to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its twelve-year history. Her younger sister,

Daisy Junor Daisy Junor 'nee'' Knezovich(July 10, 1919 – April 29, 2012) was a Canadian outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 140 lb., she batted and threw left-handed. Basically a line-dri ...

, also played in the league. Knezovich shared the catching duties along with

Irene Hickson Irene Hickson (August 14, 1915 – November 24, 1995) was an American catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 116 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. At age 27, Irene Hickson ...

and Anna May Hutchison during her two seasons with 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 ...

. Madden, W. C. (2000) ''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book''. McFarland & Company. In a 17-game career, Ruby posted a

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 ...

of .146 (6-for-41), with four

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...

, two RBI and one

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

. As a fielder, she hauled in 29

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...

s with 16 assists and turned one

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

, while committing two

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

in 47

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

for a combined .957

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 ...

. In 1988 was inaugurated a permanent display 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 ...

, that honors those who were part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Ruby Knezovich, along with the rest of the girls and the league staff, is included at the display/exhibit. Then in 1998, three years after her death, Ruby and all Canadian AAGPBL players gained honorary induction into 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 ...

.The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Official Website
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Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knezovich, Ruby 1918 births 1995 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Racine Belles (1943–1950) players Canadian baseball players Baseball players from Hamilton, Ontario