Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 21, 2026

Barbara Gates

Barbara Gates was a right handed pitcher who played from 1953 to 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).

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Jul 21, 2026
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Barbara Gates
Pitcher
Born: (1934-05-04)May 4, 1934
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: December 1, 2000(2000-12-01) (aged 66)
Naperville, Illinois, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • AAGPBL Championship Title (1954)
  • Women in Baseball – AAGPBL Permanent Display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (unveiled in 1988)

Barbara Gates (May 4, 1934 – December 1, 2000) was a right handed pitcher who played from 1953 to 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).12

Born in Chicago, Illinois,2 Barbara Gates pitched the last two seasons of the league with three different teams, including the 1954 pennant-winning Fort Wayne Daisies. In 1953, she divided her playing time between the South Bend Blue Sox and the Grand Rapids Chicks.1

In 19 pitching appearances, Gates posted a 1–4 record with a 7.42 ERA, allowing 62 runs – 47 earned – on 53 hits and 69 walks, while striking out 20 in 57 innings. As a hitter, she went 2-for-19 for a .105 average.1

She died in 2000 in Naperville, Illinois, at the age of 66.2

In 1988 was inaugurated a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York, that honors those who were part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Barbara Gates, along with the rest of the girls and the league staff, is included at the display/exhibit.3

Sources

Sources

  1. Madden, W. C. (2000) All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-0597-8
  2. Will County, Illinois Obituary Extracts. Obituary Central Website
  3. Before A League of Their Own. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum