Dorothy Ferguson

Dorothy B. "Dottie" Ferguson Key (February 17, 1923 – May 8, 2003) was a Canadian infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5' 6", 125 lb., she batted and threw right handed.

Early life A native of Virden, Manitoba, Ferguson was one of the sixty-eight girls from Canada who played in the AAGPBL during its 12-year history. Athletically inclined from a young age, she began skating and was soon involved in softball. In 1939, she was named the North American women's speed skating champion. Only the coming of World War II prevented her from competing for Canada in the Olympics. Due to the conflict, the Games of 1940 to be held in Tokyo temporarily relocated to Helsinki, and upon the outbreak of war were canceled.

Professional career Ferguson entered the AAGPBL in 1945 with the Rockford Peaches, playing for them 10 years until the league folded in 1954. A proven performer, speedy Ferguson averaged over 46 stolen bases per season and collected a personal-best 91 steals in 1951. Though mainly a singles hitter, she was a productive force at the plate, connecting 645 hits while walking 455 times in 3216 at-bats. A versatile infielder who played mainly at second base and third, she gained respect amongst fellow players after switching to center field. Other significant contributions came from star pitcher Helen Nicol (2–0) and shortstop Dorothy Harrell (7-for-17.412, three RBI).

In 1953, she hit .208 in the regular season and .364 (4-for-11) in the playoffs, while Rockford was beaten by Grand Rapids in the first round (2–1). In 1954, she hit a career-high .253 average but swiped only 14 bases. The Peaches finished last out of six teams, during what turned out to be the AAGPBL final season. She played for managers Bill Allington (1945-'46), (1948-'52), Eddie Ainsmith (1947) and Johnny Rawlings (1953-'54). A .201 career hitter, she scored 520 runs and stole 461 bases in 950 games.

Honors and awards Since 1988, Dottie and the other women who represented Canada in the AAGPBL formed part of the permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York, which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She also gained inductions into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1998) and the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame (1998), and was honored with the YWCA Janet Lynn Sports Award (1993). Her road uniform with the No. 12 is part of the Women in Baseball exhibit in Cooperstown. She was a longtime resident of Rockford, Illinois, where she died from cancer at the age of 80.

Career statistics Batting Fielding GPPOAETCDPFA 893 1616 358 106 2080 45 .949