(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Kitchen Table Kibitzing 4/2/25: Great Moments in DEI [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-02
Has anybody ever told you that you throw like a girl? The common playground insult comes from the belief that girls (or women) lack the ability to throw anything with speed or accuracy. Pro sports holds as gospel the thought that women do not have the strength to compete with men. Jackie Mitchell would like a word.
Engel had a reputation.
The game was originally scheduled for April 1. The April Fools' Day date may have been enough to raise questions, but people were even more suspicious that this was a publicity stunt due to the fact that it was Engle(sic) who set it up. "He was the P.T. Barnum of the bush leagues. He was known for sometimes extravagant promotions," said Andy Broome, author of "Her Curves Were Too Much for Them." "During the Depression, he once gave away a home with a car in the garage. He traded a player once for a turkey. He did some amazing publicity and promotions for Minor League Baseball."
Nowadays he could be President. So what happened?
The first game against the Yankees, before a crowd of 4,000 fans and journalists, began with the Lookouts’ starting pitcher surrendering hits to the first two batters. The Lookouts’ manager then pulled his starter and sent Mitchell to the mound to face the heart of a fearsome lineup that had become known in the 1920s as “Murderers’ Row.” First up was Ruth, who tipped his hat at the girl on the mound “and assumed an easy batting stance,” a reporter wrote. Mitchell went into her motion, winding her left arm “as if she were turning a coffee grinder.” Then, with a side-armed delivery, she threw her trademark sinker (a pitch known then as “the drop”). Ruth let it pass for a ball. At Mitchell’s second offering, Ruth “swung and missed the ball by a foot.” He missed the next one, too, and asked the umpire to inspect the ball. Then, with the count 1-2, Ruth watched as Mitchell’s pitch caught the outside corner for a called strike three. Flinging his bat down in disgust, he retreated to the dugout. Next to the plate was Gehrig, who would bat .341 in 1931 and tie Ruth for the league lead in homers. He swung at and missed three straight pitches. But Mitchell walked the next batter, Tony Lazzeri, and the Lookouts’ manager pulled her from the game, which the Yankees went on to win, 14-4.
Naturally the guys couldn’t accept it. It must be rigged.
Jackie was originally set to pitch against Ruth and Gehrig every time they were at bat. She trained incessantly to prepare for the game —so much that wore out her arm, which is reportedly why she pitched only one inning. If she had been able to pitch longer, Broome wonders if the debate over her skill would be different now.
Those who insist the inning was rigged point to Engel’s reputation for showmanship, and to the bare odds: How could an amateur teen possibly strike out the greatest players of the day?
But…
Along with noting the originally scheduled date of the game, Thorn added that when watching the footage, "you can see how hilarious it is to think that her 65-mph fastball fooled anybody." On the contrary, Patrick thinks the low speed worked in Mitchell's favor, likening it to an inexperienced kid coming in to pitch against players who are used to seeing speeds much faster. Ruth and Gehrig were prepared to face pitches in the 90s. Another point of contention Patrick brings up is why either would do this, as neither needed the money. She argues that Ruth was not known to respect women while Gehrig was too "upstanding" to falsify any game. Patrick does concede that they probably could have figured Mitchell out with another at-bat. Broome added that Mitchell never tried to profit off her story and always maintained it was real. "Not one person ever said that this was a setup or that they were told to do something or not do something on both sides, Yankees and the Lookouts," Broome said. "In fact, some players that were asked about it [like] Tony Lazzeri made the comments, 'The only thing I was told was, "Don't hit one up the middle and kill her. Don't kill her with a line drive," he said. 'That's all they told me.'"
She’ll make you look like a fool, boy.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/2/2313467/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-4-2-25-Great-Moments-in-DEI?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
