The Peaches really were “in a league of their own.” Here’s their story.
The Rockford (IL) Peaches, an all-girls baseball team, played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. When the league started, there were four teams, and the Peaches (along with the South Bend Blue Sox) played all 12 seasons.
The nation learned about the Peaches because of the 1992 film, A League of Their Own.
Courtesy All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The league was invented by Philip Wrigley and started as a non-profit organization during the height of World War II. With American men fighting for their country, Wrigley wanted to keep America’s favorite pastime alive locally. He hired scouts to identify women who were good baseball players, and tryouts were used to fill out the roster.
There was more, too. In accordance with the times, players had to attend charm and beauty classes and act like ladies.
The Peaches didn’t start with a bang. In 1943, they finished the first half of the season with a 23-31 record but did better in the second half, going 25-23. First baseperson Dorothy Kamenshek, better known as “Kammie,” was one of the top players in the league. Geena Davis’s character, Dottie Henson, played catcher.
The movie took creative liberties. For example, in the film, the Peaches took on the Racine Belles in the 1943 Women’s World Series. However, the Peaches never made it to the World Series that year. Racine played another team and won the league championship. That said, the Rockford Peaches ended up winning most of the league’s titles, the first coming in 1945, and they had a three-peat from 1948-1950.
The Peaches made history.
Excellent article! I have seen the movie a number of times and it’s very good. However, this article really puts some things into perspective that may not have been in the movie or parts of the story were a little different. Thank you Matthew Paris for bringing this story to light!