On This Date… women in baseball

Sixty-five years ago today on February 20, 1943, Phil Wrigley and Branch Rickey chartered the All-American Girls Softball League.  The purpose was to generate interest in the sport in case our government closed down major league baseball. 

The AAGSL eventually switched to hardball and became the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  The pitching distance was 40 feet and bases were 68 feet apart.