Jane Jacobs

Who is Jane Jacobs?

Jane Jeanette Jacobs [Badini] is a former pitcher who played from 1944 through 1947 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 4 in, 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.

Jane Jacobs was not a hard thrower, but her underhand fastball fooled batters because she was basically a curveball pitcher. Jacobs hurled an in-curve, out-curve, upshoot and specially a drop ball, her better pitch. Her most impressive start was having pitched a complete game-shutout one-hitter, but she fell victim to sidearm delivery when the league converted over on it.

״Jake״, as her teammates nicknamed her, was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where she started playing softball at the age of 11. In 1943, she was spotted by a league's scout when she was 18, but did not sign until a year later.

Jacobs entered the league in 1944 with the Racine Belles, playing for them two years. She did not a have a winning season, even though she posted a 2.82 earned run average in 1945 and 2.86 in 1945, while compiling marks of 9–16 and 7–9, respectively. The team had a surplus of talent, so she was loaned to the Peoria Redwings the next year.