Donna Cook | |
---|---|
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | |
Pitcher / Outfield | |
Born: Muskegon, Michigan | May 24, 1928|
Died: October 16, 2006 North Muskegon, Michigan | (aged 78)|
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Donna Jean Cook [״Cookie״] (May 24, 1928 – October 16, 2006) was a pitcher and outfielder who played from 1946 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), 121 lb., she batted right-handed and threw left-handed. [1] [2]
Donna Cook played for eight different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in a span of nine years. She moved around for a while, as the league usually shifted players as needed to help some teams stay afloat.
Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Donna was one of twelve children into the family of Sidney and Daisy ( née Johnson) Cook. She played five years of organized softball before joining the league with her hometown team, just days after graduating from Muskegon Heights High School. [1] [3]
In 1946 Cook opened at right field for the Muskegon Lassies. She had a .156 average in 78 games. The next year she was switched to pitcher and became a proven starter, turning in a 14–8 record with a sparkling 1.42 earned run average, as the Lassies posted a 69‑43 record en route to win the regular season championship in a close pennant race. Muskegon, managed by Bill Wambsganss, nailed down the victory with two days remaining on the schedule, though the team was eliminated in the playoffs by a strong Racine Belles squad. During a stretch in the season, Cook won four games in a week and belted two home runs in a game. In addition, she ended fourth in the league for the best winning percentage (.636) and tenth in ERA. [4] [5]
Cook started 1948 with Muskegon, but was traded to the Chicago Colleens in the midseason and ended the year with the Fort Wayne Daisies, which took a toll on her performance, dropping to a 4–9 record with a 4.03 ERA. She made a successful comeback for the Daisies in 1949, evening her record at 9–9 with a 1.94 ERA in 22 pitching appearances. Unfortunately, she injured a knee toward the end of the season, which affected her for the rest of her career. [1] [6]
She slumped considerably for the next five years, pitching in only 32 games with the Grand Rapids Chicks (1950), Battle Creek/ Muskegon Belles (1951–1953), South Bend Blue Sox (1953) and Rockford Peaches (1954). Her younger sister, Doris Cook, also played in the league. The sisters came together in South Bend. [6]
After baseball Cook worked as a bank teller at Comerica Bank in Muskegon during 25 years. She also had three surgeries on her injured knee. [1] [6]
Since 1988 she is part of Women in Baseball, a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She also was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame along with her sister Doris in 1993. [3]
Donna Cook died in 2006 in North Muskegon, Michigan, at the age of 79. [1]
Pitching
GP | W | L | W-L% | ERA | IP | H | RA | ER | BB | SO | HB | WP | WHIP | SO/BB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
108 | 28 | 39 | .418 | 3.38 | 596 | 451 | 315 | 224 | 449 | 246 | 29 | 17 | 1.72 | 0.59 |
Batting
GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | TB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
439 | 1294 | 99 | 246 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 76 | 46 | 286 | 95 | 85 | .190 | .246 | .221 |
Fielding
GP | PO | A | E | TC | DP | FA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
466 | 599 | 160 | 45 | TC | 45 | .954 |