[1] Women have been playing professional baseball since the early 1930s, when Chattanooga Lookouts pitcher Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession, during an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in 1931.
The main promoter was Philip K. Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, who worried about the viability of male professional baseball players during World War II decided to establish an alternate attraction.
Over the years the rules, equipment, and style of play in the league changed from softball to baseball (e.g., the size of the ball at the beginning was 12" in circumference, but at the end it was 91⁄4").
A four-time All-Star, she was the Babe Ruth or Tris Speaker equivalent of the AAGPBL, accumulating more home runs and triples than any other player in league history.
Callow entered the AAGPBL in 1947 with the Peoria Redwings, playing for them during her rookie season before joining the Chicago Colleens expansion team for a small time in 1948.
She started off slow in the home run category with none during her rookie season, but by the rest of her eight years career she belted 55 to top the all-time list.