Senaida Wirth
Encyclopedia
Senaida Wirth [Shoo-Shoo] (October 4, 1926 - May 20, 1967) was a shortstop
who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 0", 114 lb., Wirth batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Tampa, Florida
.
Senaida Wirth was a fine defensive shortstop with good range on the field and a strong throwing arm. Basically a line drive
hitter, Wirth did not have any real power, but she was an accomplished bunter that put the ball in play and was extremely hard to strike out
, averaging one strikeout per every 7.55 at bat
s (160-for-2120) while collecting a solid 1.96 walk-to-strikeout ratio
(313-to-160). She also was respected for her swiftness in stealing bases
, because once she reached base
she was almost unstoppable, collecting 352 stolen bases in her seven-year career. A member of a champion team, she earned one spot in the 1946 All-Star Team.
Wirth entered the AAGPBL in with the South Bend Blue Sox
, playing for them through the season as a replacement for departed shortstop Dottie Schroeder. She joined a talented team, managed
by Marty McManus
, that included players as pitching
star Jean Faut
, one of the most dominant hurlers of the league, as well as Bonnie Baker
, Betsy Jochum
, Phyllis Koehn
, Elizabeth Mahon
and Inez Voyce
, whom could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. Wirth had a promising debut, leading the league hitters with a .386 average at a point of the season. She faded after that, ending with a .249 mark. The Blue Sox finished fifth of six teams with a 49-60 record.
In her sophomore season, Wirth was selected by the AAGPBL managers for the 1946 All-Star Team as a rookie
. She hit a .245 average in 107 games, including 65 runs
with 91 hits
and 22 RBI
, while stealing 89 bases. The Blue Sox improved to 70-42 and advanced to the playoffs, but were defeated by the Racine Belles
in the first round.
Wirth saw limited action in 1947. Though she lost more than 30 games due to an injury, she was able to hit .227 and score 35 runs in 73 games. For the second consecutive year, South Bend reached the playoffs after going 57-54, but the club lost to the Grand Rapids Chicks
in their first round of post-season action.
Wirth increased her average to .241 in 1948, appearing in a career-high 113 games while scoring 60 runs with 26 RBI. Her batting average was remarkable, considering that it was a season dominated by strong pitching. At this point, Alice Haylett
led the league with a 25-5 record and a 0.77 earned run average
, while Joanne Winter
finished 25-12 with a league-lead 248 strikeouts. Audrey Wagner
, who won the batting title with a .312 average, became the only girl to hit over .300, ending 23 points ahead of runner-up Connie Wisniewski
. Meanwhile, the Blue Sox ended 57-69 and made the playoff but again were defeated by the Chicks in the first round.
Wirth matched her own record of 113 games in 1949, ending with a .229 average, 89 hits, 62 runs and 40 RBI. That year the Blue Sox were swept in the final series by the Rockford Peaches
, 4 to 0, after getting a first-round bye (75-36, along with the Peaches). In 1950, she appeared in 105 games and bolstered her average to .268, including 61 runs, 49 RBI, and a career-high 103 hits. With Dave Bancroft
at the helm, South Bend earned a fifth place with a 55-55 mark.
In 1951 Wirth enjoyed her most productive year in her final season of play, when she posted career-numbers with a .274 average and 77 runs scored in 105 games while driving in 54 runs. Her teammate Jean Faut
was 15-7 with a 1.33 ERA and led the league with 135 strikeouts. On July 21 she hurled a perfect game
against Rockford, and was named Player of the Year at the end of the season. New manager Karl Winsch
guided South Bend to the playoffs with a combined record of 76-36. Finally, Wirth was on a club that advanced to the final series. In round one Faut won two 2–1 decisions against the Fort Wayne Daisies
. She later defeated twice the Chicks in the best-of-five series, as South Bend claimed the Championship Title.
In a seven-season career with South Bend, Wirth posted a .248 average with a .345 on-base percentage in 616 games appearances. She is also part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player.
Fielding
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 0", 114 lb., Wirth batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
Senaida Wirth was a fine defensive shortstop with good range on the field and a strong throwing arm. Basically a line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
hitter, Wirth did not have any real power, but she was an accomplished bunter that put the ball in play and was extremely hard to strike out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
, averaging one strikeout per every 7.55 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s (160-for-2120) while collecting a solid 1.96 walk-to-strikeout ratio
Walk-to-strikeout ratio
In baseball statistics, walk-to-strikeout ratio is a measure of a hitter's plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone. Generally, a hitter with a good walk-to-strikeout ratio must exhibit enough patience at the plate to refrain from swinging at bad pitches and take a base on balls, but he...
(313-to-160). She also was respected for her swiftness in stealing bases
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
, because once she reached base
Times on base
In baseball statistics, the term times on base, also abbreviated as TOB, is the cumulative total number of times a batter has been awarded for reaching base as a result of hits, walks and hit by pitches. This stat does not include times reaching first by way of error, dropped 3rd strike, fielders...
she was almost unstoppable, collecting 352 stolen bases in her seven-year career. A member of a champion team, she earned one spot in the 1946 All-Star Team.
Wirth entered the AAGPBL in with the South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, playing for them through the season as a replacement for departed shortstop Dottie Schroeder. She joined a talented team, managed
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
by Marty McManus
Marty McManus
Martin Joseph "Marty" McManus was a Major League Baseball infielder who played principally as a second baseman and third baseman .-St. Louis Browns: 1920-1926:...
, that included players as pitching
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
star Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, one of the most dominant hurlers of the league, as well as Bonnie Baker
Bonnie Baker
Mary Geraldine Baker, née George was an all-star catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1943 to 1952.-Career:...
, Betsy Jochum
Betsy Jochum
Betsy Jochum [″Sockum″] is a former outfielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 140 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
, Phyllis Koehn
Phyllis Koehn
Phyllis C. Koehn [″Sugar″] was a pitcher and utility who played from through for six different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 120 lb., Koehn batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin.By the fall of 1942, World War II...
, Elizabeth Mahon
Elizabeth Mahon
Elizabeth B. Mahon [″Lib″] was a female outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 135 lb., Mahon batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Greenville, South Carolina.-Early life:Lib Mahon was one of six children of David...
and Inez Voyce
Inez Voyce
Inez Ferne Voyce [Lefty] is a former first basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, whom could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. Wirth had a promising debut, leading the league hitters with a .386 average at a point of the season. She faded after that, ending with a .249 mark. The Blue Sox finished fifth of six teams with a 49-60 record.
In her sophomore season, Wirth was selected by the AAGPBL managers for the 1946 All-Star Team as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
. She hit a .245 average in 107 games, including 65 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
with 91 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 22 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, while stealing 89 bases. The Blue Sox improved to 70-42 and advanced to the playoffs, but were defeated by the Racine Belles
Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
in the first round.
Wirth saw limited action in 1947. Though she lost more than 30 games due to an injury, she was able to hit .227 and score 35 runs in 73 games. For the second consecutive year, South Bend reached the playoffs after going 57-54, but the club lost to the Grand Rapids Chicks
Grand Rapids Chicks
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953....
in their first round of post-season action.
Wirth increased her average to .241 in 1948, appearing in a career-high 113 games while scoring 60 runs with 26 RBI. Her batting average was remarkable, considering that it was a season dominated by strong pitching. At this point, Alice Haylett
Alice Haylett
Alice Haylett [Al or Sis] was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 155 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
led the league with a 25-5 record and a 0.77 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, while Joanne Winter
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter [Jo] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
finished 25-12 with a league-lead 248 strikeouts. Audrey Wagner
Audrey Wagner
Genevieve Wagner [Audrey] was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Brief profile:...
, who won the batting title with a .312 average, became the only girl to hit over .300, ending 23 points ahead of runner-up Connie Wisniewski
Connie Wisniewski
Constance Wisniewski was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
. Meanwhile, the Blue Sox ended 57-69 and made the playoff but again were defeated by the Chicks in the first round.
Wirth matched her own record of 113 games in 1949, ending with a .229 average, 89 hits, 62 runs and 40 RBI. That year the Blue Sox were swept in the final series by the Rockford Peaches
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....
, 4 to 0, after getting a first-round bye (75-36, along with the Peaches). In 1950, she appeared in 105 games and bolstered her average to .268, including 61 runs, 49 RBI, and a career-high 103 hits. With Dave Bancroft
Dave Bancroft
David James "Beauty" Bancroft was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1930. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame....
at the helm, South Bend earned a fifth place with a 55-55 mark.
In 1951 Wirth enjoyed her most productive year in her final season of play, when she posted career-numbers with a .274 average and 77 runs scored in 105 games while driving in 54 runs. Her teammate Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
was 15-7 with a 1.33 ERA and led the league with 135 strikeouts. On July 21 she hurled a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against Rockford, and was named Player of the Year at the end of the season. New manager Karl Winsch
Karl Winsch
Karl Edgar Winsch was a pitcher and manager in Minor league baseball. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., Winsch batted and threw right-handed....
guided South Bend to the playoffs with a combined record of 76-36. Finally, Wirth was on a club that advanced to the final series. In round one Faut won two 2–1 decisions against the Fort Wayne Daisies
Fort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
. She later defeated twice the Chicks in the best-of-five series, as South Bend claimed the Championship Title.
In a seven-season career with South Bend, Wirth posted a .248 average with a .345 on-base percentage in 616 games appearances. She is also part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player.
Statistics
Batting| GP Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... | AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... | R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | 2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | 3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... | RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... | BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... | SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... | BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 616 | 2120 | 360 | 526 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 201 | 359 | 313 | 160 | .248 | .345 | .275 |
Fielding
| PO | A Assist (baseball) In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional... | E Error (baseball) In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ... | TC Total chances In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding... | DP Double play In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two".... | FA Fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1127 | 1898 | 186 | 3211 | 124 | .943 |