Ruth L. Born (August 8, 1925 – March 10, 2020) was an American baseball player who 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, ...

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 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 125 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. Ruth Born was one of the original

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 ...

founding members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for its inaugural season in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...

. A native of

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...

, Born grew up playing

sandlot ball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. In the 20th centu ...

with her neighborhood kids at an early age, most of them boys, but did not start participating in an organized league until she was 12 years old, playing at school and in park softball leagues. At the age of 13, she put on her first uniform with a Moose Lodge team.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League In 1943, she read an advertisement in the local newspaper offering girls an opportunity to try out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She wrote the office and was given a tryout in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

after the season had begun. She made the grade and was accepted on the local team. Born pitched in just 11 games, going 4–5 with a tenth best

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 ...

of 3.59. But she did not feel comfortable in the new circuit. "I was in over my head", she explained in an interview. Nevertheless, she added that the best thing about playing professional ball was being paid to do what she loved. "I enjoyed every minute!", she boasted. She did not return in 1944 and chose to attend college. She earned a bachelor's degree from

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

and attained a master's degree in psychiatric social work from

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

. Then she went to work for private social agencies in child welfare and family services. She retired from the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 1991 after 23 years of services. Ruth Born is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the

National 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 St ...

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 in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Born died on March 10, 2020, at the age of 94.

Career statistics

Pitching Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Born, Ruth 1925 births 2020 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players American social workers Loyola University Chicago alumni Place of death missing Valparaiso University alumni Baseball players from Bay City, Michigan South Bend Blue Sox players 20th-century American sportswomen