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Gallery of Central Maine’s photos from Election Day
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Gallery of Central Maine’s photos from Election Day
Maxine Drinkwater Simmons shows the form that made her the top-field second baseman (called Second Sacker in official statistics) for the South Bend Blue Sox in 1954, the final season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Simmons was a rookie infielder with the South Bend Blue Sox in 1954, the final season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She is kneeling, second from right, in glasses.
Simmons holds a copy of her professional baseball contract. The South Bend Blue Sox paid her $60 in salary and $115 for expenses (a total equal to $1,592 in today's dollars) as a rookie in 1954.
Simmons kept a detailed scrapbook from her season playing for the South Bend Blue Sox, just after graduating from high school in Camden. She was 18.
Yeah, that's Simmons in the front row wearing glasses.
This picture shows the slightly larger baseball used by the women, who ran on basepaths 85 feet in length.
Simmons led "Second Sackers" - as opposed to Second Basewomen - in fielding percentage in her rookie season of 1954, making only one error in 11 games at second base. She had 21 putouts and 11 assists and turned three double plays.
If you find yourself in traffic behind this AAGPBL plate, you're following Camden native Maxine Simmons, who played in the final season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, 63 years ago.
