Mamie Johnson
Mamie "Peanut" Johnson (born September 27, 1935; died December 18, 2017) was an American baseball pitcher and nurse. She pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro leagues from 1953 to 1955 and is described in her obituaries as the first woman to pitch in the Negro leagues.[1][2] She was one of three women known to have played in those leagues, alongside Toni Stone and Connie Morgan, and the last of the three to die.[1] Over three seasons she is credited with a 33–8 win–loss record.[3][4]
After baseball she worked as a registered nurse for about 30 years, then ran a Negro leagues memorabilia shop and coached youth baseball in the Washington, D.C., area.[3][2] Late in life she was recognized by the White House and by Major League Baseball, and a youth league in Washington was named for her.[3][5]
Early life
Johnson was born in Ridgeway, South Carolina, with the birth name Mamie Belton.[3] Most sources give her parents as Della Belton Havelow and Gentry Harrison;[3][6] one says her father left before she was born.[7] Her maternal grandmother raised her on a farm, where she played baseball with improvised equipment, including rocks wrapped in tape or twine for balls.[3][8] One source says an uncle, Leo "Bones" Belton, taught her to pitch.[7]
Her grandmother died in 1943, and Johnson moved north to Long Branch, New Jersey.[3] She played in a Police Athletic League against boys, and graduated from Long Branch High School in 1953.[3] She also played semiprofessional baseball in Washington, D.C., for a team run by St. Cyprian Catholic Church.[3][7]
Rejection by the women's league
Johnson tried out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), a professional women's league whose teams were all white, and was turned away because she was Black.[5][9] Sources disagree on when this happened (see Discrepancies in the sources). In later interviews she said the rejection pushed her toward the Negro leagues: had she played with white women, she said, she "would have been just another player."[4][5]
Indianapolis Clowns
In 1953 Johnson joined the Indianapolis Clowns. One account says she was discovered in Washington by former Negro leagues player Bish Tyson;[6] another says the team signed her while on a barnstorming tour (a tour of exhibition games) through Washington.[3] The Clowns were the team that had featured Hank Aaron before he moved to Major League Baseball, and sources describe Aaron as her teammate.[1][4]
Johnson was a right-handed pitcher about 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) tall.[5] Her repertoire included a fastball, slider, circle changeup, screwball and curveball, and she credited Satchel Paige with helping her develop her curveball.[5][4] One account says she also played second base.[4]
Her nickname came from her small size. According to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, she struck out a Kansas City Monarchs batter, Hank Bayliss, who remarked that she was no bigger than a peanut.[3]
Record
Accounts of her record agree on the three-season total of 33 wins and eight losses.[3][5][4] Two sources give season totals, which sum to the same figure:[7][4]
| Season | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 11 | 3 |
| 1954 | 10 | 1 |
| 1955 | 12 | 4 |
| Total | 33 | 8 |
ESPN reports a career batting average of .270.[1] Other sources give ranges between roughly .25 and .28.[7][4] The AAGPBL players' association cautions that Negro leagues statistics from these years are "spotty at best."[5]
Later life
Johnson studied medicine and engineering at New York University and later earned a nursing degree from North Carolina A&T State University.[3][1] She worked as a registered nurse for 30 years, including at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington.[3] Sources describe her as married three times, with one son.[3][7]
She ran a Negro leagues memorabilia shop in the Maryland suburbs of Washington; sources place it in Capitol Heights, Bowie, or Prince George's County generally.[7][4][6] One source says she founded the They Played Baseball Foundation in 1999.[7] She also coached youth baseball.[3][2]
Recognition
- 1999: Recognized at the White House by President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.[3][6]
- 2006: Granted honorary membership in the AAGPBL Players Association at its reunion in Houston.[5]
- 2008: Ceremonially selected by the Washington Nationals in a commemorative Negro leagues draft held by Major League Baseball before that year's amateur draft.[2][3]
- 2015: The Mamie Johnson Little League was established in Washington.[5][3]
- 2016: A bronze bust of Johnson was installed at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.[3]
- 2025: Green spaces in Northeast Washington were named in her honor.[3]
She also received the Mary McLeod Bethune Continuing the Legacy Award.[6] Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick called her "truly a pioneer."[1]
Death
Johnson died in Washington, D.C., at age 82.[1][2] The African American Registry attributes her death to cardiac-related causes, and the AAGPBL profile to complications involving her pacemaker.[4][5]
Discrepancies in the sources
| Question | Accounts | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Birth year | 1935 in most sources;[3][5][8][4] 1932 in Encyclopedia.com.[7] | Three obituaries give her age at death as 82, which fits 1935 and not 1932.[1][2][9] This article uses 1935. A birth record would settle it. |
| Death date | December 18, 2017 in four sources;[3][5][8][4] December 19 in ESPN, WTOP and WFYI.[1][2][9] | The obituaries were published December 19–20, so the later date may reflect when her death was reported. This article uses December 18. A death certificate or family statement would settle it. |
| AAGPBL tryout | "Late 1940s" per the AAGPBL profile;[5] 1952 per the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis;[3] "at age 17" per ESPN and the African American Registry.[1][4] | At 17 would be about 1952 under the 1935 birth year. The "late 1940s" date would have made her a young child. |
| Spelling of the batter in the nickname story | Hank Bayliss;[3] Hank Baylis.[7] | Only two sources tell the story, and they differ on the name. |
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ^i ^j (2017-12-19). Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, last of three women to play in Negro Leagues, dies at 82. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21820998/mamie-peanut-johnson-last-3-women-play-baseball-negro-leagues-dies-82.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g (2017-12-19). Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, baseball pioneer, dies at 82. WTOP. https://wtop.com/mlb/2017/12/mamie-peanut-johnson-baseball-pioneer-dies-at-82/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ^i ^j ^k ^l ^m ^n ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. https://indyencyclopedia.org/mamie-johnson/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ^i ^j ^k ^l ^m Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, Baseball Player born. African American Registry. https://aaregistry.org/story/mamie-peanut-johnson-a-strong-right-arm/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ^i ^j ^k ^l ^m Mamie (Harrison) Johnson (“Peanut”) AAGPBL Profile. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association. https://www.aagpbl.org/profiles/mamie-harrison-johnson-peanut/1084.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. South Carolina African American History Calendar. https://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/mamie-peanut-johnson/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ^i ^j Johnson, Mamie “Peanut” 1932–. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/johnson-mamie-peanut-1932.
- ^a ^b ^c Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Discover South Carolina. https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/mamie-peanut-johnson.
- ^a ^b ^c (2017-12-20). Indianapolis Clowns Pitcher Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Dies At Age 82. WFYI. https://www.wfyi.org/public-affairs/2017-12-20/negro-leagues-mamie-peanut-johnson-dies-at-age-82.