Pepper Paire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pepper Paire
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Catcher/Infielder
Born: (1924-05-29)May 29, 1924 Los Angeles, California, US
Died: February 2, 2013(2013-02-02) (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, US
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
1944
Last appearance
1953
Teams
Minneapolis Millerettes (1944) Fort Wayne Daisies (1945, 1952[end]–1953) Racine Belles (1946–1947) Grand Rapids Chicks (1948–1952[start])
Career highlights and awards
1948 AAGPBL All-Star Team AAGPBL Championship Team (1946) Nine playoff appearances (1945–1953) Single-season for the most runs batted in (1950) Single-season leader in fielding percentage for a catcher (1950) Tied for fourth in the all-time list for the best RBI hitter National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame Induction (2013)

Lavone A. "Pepper" Paire Davis (born May 29, 1924, died February 2, 2013) was a talented baseball player. She played as a catcher and infielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Pepper played for ten seasons, from 1944 to 1953. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 138 pounds. She batted and threw with her right hand.

Who Was Pepper Paire?

Pepper Paire was an amazing baseball player. She was known for her strong defense and powerful throwing arm. Even though she got hurt many times, she always kept playing. She was also a great hitter, known for hitting the ball hard and rarely striking out.

Pepper was very good at getting runs batted in (RBI). She is tied for fourth place in the AAGPBL's all-time RBI list with 400 RBIs. This means she helped her team score a lot of runs! She could play many positions, including catcher, shortstop, and third base. She even pitched sometimes. Pepper was part of a championship team and made it to the playoffs in nine of her ten seasons. In 60 playoff games, she hit .211 with one home run and 16 RBIs.

Early Life and Baseball Dreams

Lavone A. Paire was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Charles Edward Pair and Hortense Theresa Paire Blazek. Pepper grew up playing baseball with her older brother, Joseph. She started playing baseball at age nine for a grocery store team in Santa Monica, California. Back then, winning games meant free groceries for the players during the Depression Era.

Pepper went to University Senior High School. She continued to be excellent in sports. She played on semi-professional softball teams with her friend Faye Dancer. Both were later asked by Bill Allington to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Playing in the AAGPBL

Pepper Paire joined the AAGPBL in 1944. She started with the Minneapolis Millerettes. As a rookie catcher, she hit .240 in 60 games. In 1945, she moved to the Fort Wayne Daisies. She played shortstop that year and led her team with 39 RBIs. She also had the fewest strikeouts in the league, with only six.

Pepper moved teams a few more times. She played for the Racine Belles from 1946 to 1947. Then she joined the Grand Rapids Chicks from 1948 until the middle of the 1952 season. She then returned to the Daisies and played there until her last season in 1953. She also played different positions. She was a shortstop in 1946, a catcher again in 1947, and a third baseman in 1948. After that, she mostly played as a catcher for the rest of her career.

A Championship Season

In 1946, Pepper had a great year with the Racine Belles. She hit .238 with 59 RBIs in 101 games. That year, the Belles became the league champions! It was a tough year for hitters because the pitchers were very strong.

Playing in Cuba

In 1947, Pepper was one of 200 players who went to Cuba for spring training. This was the first time the AAGPBL held training outside the United States. She had a good season, hitting .226 with 50 RBIs. She also had career highs in hits (97), runs (35), doubles (14), and stolen bases (18).

All-Star and Top Catcher

Pepper was chosen for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team in 1948. That year, she caught in 114 games, which was a career high for her. She continued to improve her batting average in the following years. In 1950, she led the league with 70 RBIs. She was also the best catcher in the league that year, with a .979 fielding percentage. In 1951, she hit a career-high .264 with 56 RBIs. In her last two seasons, she shared catching duties with Rita Briggs for the Daisies.

Life After Baseball

After her baseball career, Pepper Paire continued to play amateur softball and bowling. She worked for the Howard Hughes Aircraft Company. She married Bob Davis and had three children: William, Robert, and Susan. She also started an electronics business with her friend and fellow player, Faye Dancer.

Pepper retired in 1963 and lived in Van Nuys, California. She became a spokesperson for the Women's National Adult Baseball Association. This group was for female players aged 18 to 65. Pepper is honored in a special "Women in Baseball" display. It opened in 1988 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

The Victory Song

Pepper Paire also helped write the official song of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It's called Victory Song. This song became famous in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own. The film was directed by Penny Marshall and starred Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, and Lori Petty. The movie told a fictional story about the women who played in the league during World War II.

At their yearly reunions since 1998, the original AAGPBL players still sing the song. Pepper also helped as a technical advisor for the movie.

Dirt in the Skirt

In December 2009, Pepper Paire released her own book called Dirt in the Skirt. She wrote it to share her life story and the stories of her fellow players from the AAGPBL. The book includes special introductions by Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks.

In 2013, Pepper Paire was inducted into the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame.

Death

Pepper Paire passed away on February 2, 2013, in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. She was 88 years old.

Career Statistics

Here are some of Pepper Paire's career statistics:

Batting

Fielding

Sources