Happy Women’s History Month!
If you are an avid sports fan and or love the MLB (like I do), you may be familiar with Jackie Robinson, one of the most important Black figures in United States sports history. The 42 legacy broke down racial norm barriers in Major League Baseball, which paved the way for people of color to play the sports they love.
But have you ever heard of these three women: Toni Stone, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, and Connie Morgan?
The Lost Narrative: The Negro Leagues
First, lets break down the Negro Leagues!
In the late 1800s, Black men and women began to play baseball, where they eventually found their path to play with their white counterparts in the United States. With Jim Crow laws on the rise in the public domain, Black players sparked “barnstorming” to challenge anyone who would play against them. In 1920, in Kansas City, Missouri, the Negro League was offically created by Andrew “Rube” Foster (a former player and general manager of the Chicago American Giants). Once the league was open, other rival leagues in the Eastern and Southern regions spread Black baseball to the big urban and wall centers. Black people in the sport of baseball helped their economy during the Great Depression.
“People werent ready for me” — Toni stone
Marcenia Lyle “Toni” Stone was the very first Black woman to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues. Signed by manager Syd Pollock, she played on the Indianapolis Clowns within the Negro Leagues in 1953. After she team hops for a year or two, she was drafted to the San Francisco Sea Lions. While Toni was growing up playing baseball, she dreamed of one day making it to the professional level of baseball, even though she was a black woman living in the middle of Civil Rights and Segregation United States.
By the time she was a late teenager, she was team hopping in hopes of getting her big break on the field and finally pursuing her dream. She managed to get her break when she replaced second base Hank Aaron on the Clown’s roster. This replacement from Aaron to Stone secured her dream, and to make the statement, if you love it, you have to try to accomplish it. Syd Pollock, the owner of the team, wanted Stone to wear a skirt and make it more sexist since she was not a man, instead she covered her chest with a foam rubber chest protector so that she could fit in with the rest of the guys.
However, besides her excitement, she faced a lot of intersectionality, sexism, and racism while playing baseball, but her passion never died, instead it led her to be the pretty face of the team and boost the team’s success throughout the fifties. She retired with the Kansas City Monarchs with an batting avergage of .243 over two seasons in the Negro Leagues.
Codeword in baseball: peanut
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson was the very first women to pitch in the Negro Leagues spefically with the team the Indianapolis Clowns from 1953 to 1955. She tried out for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League but was racially discriminated against. Teammates and other people gave her the code name “Peanut” because they commented on her small body. While on the Negro Leagues, she had a pitching record of 38 to 8 on the mound for three seasons on the Clowns. When she was on the mound, she learned the curveball from legend Satchel Paige. She had a really good batting average of approximately .260 to .285.
Life after baseball in 1955, she became a nurse in the Washington, D.C area. Her favorite MLB team was the Washington Natioals were she was included in the 2008 Draft honoring pioneers of the Negro League.
“Good Athletes, Girls Espeically, Arent Born Every Day” — Connie Morgan
Connie Morgan, at age 19, she joined the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Baseball League since they did not discriminate based on gender. She joined after she read an article about Toni Stone and wrote to Syd Pollock to see if she could try out. Morgan was the third Black woman in history to play in the Negro Leagues. Oscar Charleston managed Morgan for both years and was the biggest supporter during her career. She also played on the Indianapolis Clowns for two seasons, where she split her playing time with Ray Leiland. She was known for her double plays at second base and had a batting average of .300.
Life after baseball, she ended her baseball career in 1955, she returned to William Penn Business School with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She worked the largest union federation named the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Before she passed, she was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. She passed away in 1993 at the age of 57.
The Big Three Legacy
These three women have played a significant role in women playing in male-dominated sports in the United States. Even though women are not playing for a Major League Baseball team in 2025, they have made it to behind sense positions such as with the organization or as an broadcaster.
One of my favorite stories from these three strong Black women is when Mo’ne Davis met Mamie Johnson. Eleven years ago, at the 2014 Little League World Series,Johnson met young rising pitching star Davis, who also made headlines via her pitching talent to young men at a national level. Johnson gave Davis pitching advice since she was in her shoes approximately sixty-one years prior. Davis keeps Johnson’s memory close to her heart as an inspiration for being the only young woman pitcher on an American team.
From Stone, Morgan and Johnson to Davis, Black woman have a history of playing in baseball. And hopefully the United States continues to foster their talents amongst their race or gender.