Toni Stone

For other people with similar names, see Tony Stone.
Toni Stone
Second baseman
Born: (1921-07-17)July 17, 1921
Bluefield, West Virginia
Died: November 2, 1996(1996-11-02) (aged 75)
Alameda, California
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Teams

Toni Stone (July 17, 1921 – November 2, 1996), born as Marcenia Lyle Stone, was an American female professional baseball player who played in predominantly male leagues. In 1953, she became the first woman to play as a regular on an American major-level professional baseball team[1][2] when she joined the Indianapolis Clowns in the previously all-male Negro leagues (two other women would later play on the team).[3][4][5] A baseball player from her early childhood, she also played for the San Francisco Sea Lions, the New Orleans Creoles, the Indianapolis Clowns, and the Kansas City Monarchs before retiring from baseball in 1954.[6][5] Stone was taunted at times by teammates, once being told, "Go home and fix your husband some biscuits", but she was undeterred. It has been widely reported that during an exhibition game in 1953, she hit a single off a fastball pitch delivered by legendary player Satchel Paige, although the claim has failed verification.[7]

  1. ^ Mcg, Robert (1996-11-10). "Toni Stone, 75, First Woman To Play Big-League Baseball". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  2. ^ "THE Black woman of pro baseball, Toni Stone". Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  3. ^ Martha, Ackmann (2010). Curveball: the remarkable story of Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro League. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 978-1-55652-796-8. OCLC 680281078.
  4. ^ Jones, Wendy (July 17, 2017). "Barrier-breaking athlete Toni Stone got her start in baseball in St. Paul". MinnPost.
  5. ^ a b "The Negro League's Last Hope: Three Brave Women". The Hardball Times. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  6. ^ Rosengren, John (Summer 2019). "EYEWITNESS: Tomboy Stone". Minnesota History. 66(6): 232 – via JSTOR.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).