Doris Barr

Doris "Dodie" Barr (August 26, 1921 – July 12, 2009) was a Canadian pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5' 6", 145 lb., Barr batted and threw left-handed. She was born in Starbuck, Manitoba, Canada.

Early life

Doris, daughter of Malcolm and Susan Barr, was just a small town girl before she found herself being swept up into the world of women's baseball at the height of the World War II. A dominant lefty hurler, she enjoyed a prolific career over eight seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, winning a League Championship title and earning three inductions into several baseball halls of fame across North America.

The AAGBL flourished in the 1940s when the Major Leagues went on hold as men went to war. The league lasted a little over a decade, dismantling in 1954. Still, the void the league filled during wartime was inspiration enough for the 1992 film A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall and starred by Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna.

Career

Barr started her baseball career in 1937 when she was just 16, after being spotted by scouts while playing catch with her sister. That sparked a five-year stint in Canada, where she pitched for the Winnipeg Ramblers (1938–1939) and Regina Army and Navy Bombers (1940–1942). She was picked up by the AAGBL when she was 21, and earned a reputation as a powerful lefty hurler with a rocket of a throw.

Barr entered the league in 1943 with the South Bend Blue Sox, playing for them three and a half years before joining the Racine Belles (1946–1947), Springfield Sallies (1948), Muskegon Lassies (1949), Peoria Redwings (1950) and Kalamazoo Lassies (1950). Her most productive season came in 1945, both for South Bend and Racine, when she posted career-numbers in wins (20), earned run average (1.71) and winning percentage (.714), while striking out 104 in 31 pitching appearances. That same season, she also pitched the first no-hitter in Racine history in a game against the Fort Wayne Daisies (July 1, 1945). She later pitched another one in 1947.

In 1946 Barr helped Racine to a Championship after pitching the winning game that put them in the playoffs. The next season, he went 14–12 with a 2.26 ERA and 96 strikeouts, while in 1948 she recorded a 2.68 ERA with a career-high 116 strikeouts despite her 7–19 record for the Sallies.

Barr never married and did not have children, although she enjoyed the company of numerous nieces and nephews. She died at Winnipeg, at the age of 87, and was buried in the Chapel Lawn Memorial Garden.

Statistics YearClub(s)GPWLSOERA 1943 South Bend Blue Sox 32 15 13 63 2.90 1944 South Bend Blue Sox 29 8 11 62 2.98 1945 South Bend Blue Sox 31 20 8 104 1.71 1946 South Bend Blue SoxRacine Belles 21 6 8 53 3.86 1947 Racine Belles 30 14 12 96 2.26 1948 Springfield Sallies 30 7 19 116 2.68 1949 Muskegon Lassies 27 8 13 53 2.40 1950 Kalamazoo LassiesPeoria Redwings 18 1 11 25 6.51 8 seasons Totals 218 79 94 572 3.16