Ella de la Cruz was a pioneering woman in the world of baseball who broke barriers as one of the first female baseball players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the 1940s and 1950s. While she had a relatively short professional career due to an injury, her impact continued to be felt as one of the inspirations for the 1992 film A League of Their Own. Ella’s story helped shine a light on the incredible women who played professional baseball during World War 2 when many male players were serving in the war.
Ella was born in 1926 in San Antonio, Texas where she grew up playing sandlot baseball with the neighborhood boys. She excelled at the sport from a young age showing great athleticism and skill as a pitcher and outfielder. When the AAGPBL was formed in 1943, it provided one of the first opportunities for women to play baseball professionally. Ella tried out for the league in 1945 at the young age of 19 and was signed to play for the Peoria Redwings franchise.
In her rookie season of 1945, Ella impressed scouts and fans with her talent and poise on the field. She primarily played as a right fielder but was also used as a pinch hitter and occasional relief pitcher when needed. Ella’s speed, strong arm, and natural hitting ability allowed her to make an immediate impact. She batted .250 in her debut season and helped lead the Redwings to the playoffs. Ella was becoming known as one of the rising stars in the league in only its third season of existence.
Ella continued to improve in 1946 in her second season with the Redwings, raising her batting average to .280 while also contributing defensively. Tragically, her season and potentially stellar career were cut short when she suffered a serious knee injury sliding into third base during a game in June 1946. The injury required surgery and months of rehabilitation, sidelining Ella for the remainder of the 1946 season and casting doubt on if she would ever play again. It was a devastating blow for the 20-year old who had just been coming into her own.
After rehabbing her knee for over a year, Ella tried to make a comeback in 1948 by attending spring training with the Peoria Redwings. The knee had not fully recovered and Ella struggled in exhibition games. Facing the reality that she may no longer be able to compete at a professional level, Ella reluctantly retired from the AAGPBL after just two seasons. It was a disappointing end for someone with so much promise and talent. Ella’s baseball career stats included a .265 batting average with 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored over the parts of two seasons she was able to play before injury.
Even after retiring, Ella remained dedicated to the game of baseball. She took a job as a secretary for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York from 1949 to 1951. This allowed Ella to still be involved with the sport she loved on a daily basis. From 1951 to 1953, Ella then worked as a physical education teacher and coached various girls’ sports teams at schools in New Jersey. She wanted to encourage other young women to be active and take up baseball or softball.
In the late 1980s, Ella’s story came to new prominence when discussions began about a possible movie about the AAGPBL. Ella was interviewed about her experiences playing in the league for a 1988 ABC news special titled “When Women Were Warriors” that helped generate interest in a feature film. Her recollections of the challenges of being a professional female ballplayer during World War 2 added important context. Ella’s inspiration was ultimately one of the driving forces behind Penny Marshall’s hit 1992 movie A League of Their Own, which brought national attention to the history of the AAGPBL and its players like Ella for new generations.
Sadly, Ella did not live to see the release of A League of Their Own, passing away in 1990 at the age of 64 after battling cancer. Her legacy was cemented as a pioneer who broke barriers by becoming one of the first Latinas and one of the youngest players ever to compete in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1940s. Only a few baseball cards were produced featuring Ella de la Cruz during her playing days in 1945-1946 before her injury. These vintage cards have now become highly collectible artifacts chronicling her pioneering career. Ella left an indelible mark on the league and the history of women in sports despite having her career cut short. She remained a cherished figure who helped preserve the memory of the AAGPBL for decades to come.
In summary, Ella de la Cruz was truly ahead of her time as one of the brave women who took the field professionally for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War 2. Her relatively short but promising career was unfortunately ended by injury but not before she made history as one of the first Latinas in the league. Ella never let her dream of being a ballplayer die, instead spending her post-playing years supporting the game she loved in various roles. She has now become an inspirational figure remembered for her resilience and for helping pave the way for future generations through her role in the famous movie A League of Their Own. Ella’s pioneering story and rare vintage baseball cards representing her playing career in the 1940s remain an important part of chronicling the history of women in professional sports.