Toni Stone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toni Stone |
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| Born: July 17, 1921 Bluefield, West Virginia |
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| Died: November 2, 1996 (aged 75) Alameda, California |
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Toni Stone (born Marcenia Lyle Stone on July 17, 1921 – died November 2, 1996) was an amazing baseball player. She made history as the first of three women to play professional baseball full-time in the Negro leagues. These leagues were for Black players when Major League Baseball was only for white players. This also made her the first woman to play regularly on a big professional baseball team in America.
Toni loved baseball from a young age. She played for several teams, including the San Francisco Sea Lions, the New Orleans Creoles, the Indianapolis Clowns, and the Kansas City Monarchs. She retired from baseball in 1954. Sometimes, her male teammates would tease her, telling her to "Go home and fix your husband some biscuits." But Toni never let them stop her. Many people say she even hit a single off a fastball from the famous pitcher Satchel Paige in 1953, though some people disagree about this.
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Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Toni Stone was born in West Virginia. Her family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, when she was ten. Toni loved playing baseball with the boys in her neighborhood. They even called her "Tomboy" because she was so good at sports. Her mother worried that baseball wasn't "ladylike" and tried to get her interested in other things, like figure skating. But Toni's heart was set on baseball. She was good at many sports, but softball wasn't fast enough for her! She often skipped school to play baseball.
Toni's parents asked their Catholic priest for help. He saw how good she was at pitching. He encouraged her to try out for the boys' baseball team at Claver Catholic Church. This team was part of the Catholic Midget League, like today's Little League. Her parents agreed because it was a church activity. The coach didn't help her much, so Toni taught herself by reading baseball rule books. She also watched the St. Paul Saints' manager, Gabby Street, coach his team. Street later said she was so determined, he couldn't get rid of her until he gave her a chance!
By age 16, Toni was playing weekend games with the Twin City Colored Giants. These were "barnstorming" teams that traveled around playing games. She earned a little money, about $2-$3 per game. She eventually left high school to try and play baseball for a living. In 1943, she moved to San Francisco.
In San Francisco, she started using the name "Toni Stone." She felt it fit her better than her birth name, Marcenia. She met Aurelious Pescia Alberga, a World War I veteran, and they married in 1950. He supported her baseball career even though she traveled a lot.
Toni's Professional Baseball Career
Toni Stone joined the local American Legion Baseball team in San Francisco. This league was for teenagers, so Toni said she was 17, even though she was 27. She played with them from 1943 to 1945.
By 1949, Toni convinced the San Francisco Sea Lions to let her play. The team's owners hoped she would attract more fans. In her first game, she hit the ball well and helped score two runs. The Sea Lions traveled a lot, and the work was hard. Toni soon realized she was paid less than her male teammates. So, she left and joined the New Orleans Creoles, where she played from 1949 to 1952.
For the 1953 season, Syd Pollock, the owner of the Indianapolis Clowns, signed Toni Stone. She played second base, the position that Hank Aaron had played for the Clowns before he joined the Milwaukee Braves. Newspapers at the time said Toni signed for a huge amount of money, but many sources say this was just for publicity. Some reports also say Pollock wanted her to play in a skirt or shorts, but she refused. She did wear a foam rubber chest protector. The Clowns were known for both serious baseball and funny clown-style entertainment. Having a woman on the team brought in more fans, but Toni also played seriously. She played 50 games with the Clowns and had a batting average of .243.
Newspapers reported that attendance at Clowns' games reached record levels when Toni started playing. She was a big part of the team's promotions.
Challenges Toni Faced
Even though there was a women's baseball league, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, it only allowed white women to play. So, Toni, as a Black woman, couldn't join.
Toni was the first female player in the Negro Leagues, and it wasn't easy. Many male players didn't welcome her. They often tried to make things hard for her. Toni was proud of how tough she was. She would show off scars, like one on her wrist from a runner who tried to hurt her while she was playing second base. "He was out," she would say, meaning she still got him out!
Even though she was on the team, she wasn't allowed in the men's locker room. Sometimes, she could change in the umpire's room. She felt like "one of the guys," but others didn't always treat her that way. When she played for the Kansas City Monarchs, she often sat on the bench next to men who didn't like her being there. She said it was "hell."
Retirement and Later Life
Before the 1954 season, Toni Stone's contract was sold to the Kansas City Monarchs. She retired after that season because she didn't get much playing time.
After 1954, Toni moved to Oakland, California. She worked as a nurse and took care of her husband, who was sick.
Toni Stone passed away on November 2, 1996, from heart failure. She was 75 years old.
Toni Stone's Legacy
Toni Stone's achievements make her "one of the best players you have never heard of," according to the Negro League Baseball Players Association.
In 1990, she was honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame. She was featured in exhibits about "Women in Baseball" and "Negro League Baseball." In 1993, Toni was inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. Her hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota, even declared March 6 "Toni Stone Day" in 1990. There's also a baseball field named after her in St. Paul.
In 2022, Google honored Toni Stone with a special Google Doodle on their homepage. The image showed Toni playing second base, throwing the ball. This Doodle celebrated her amazing life and achievements.
Stories About Toni Stone
Common Misconceptions
Some stories about Toni Stone's life were changed for marketing. For example, the claim that she signed with the Clowns for $12,000 a year was likely not true. She probably earned closer to $350 to $400 a month. Also, the Clowns' publicists said she had a college degree, but she didn't. Toni also made herself ten years younger to join a team for teenagers, and she kept that younger age on her baseball resume.
One famous story is that she got a hit off Satchel Paige in 1953. While it's a great story, there's no official record of the teams playing each other when this was supposed to happen.
Some newspaper articles also got details about her schooling wrong. While some said she graduated from high school, she actually dropped out to play baseball.
Toni Stone in Plays
After Toni Stone's death in 1996, a play called Tomboy Stone was staged in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Later, in 2019, a new play called Toni Stone was created. It was based on a book about her life. This play explored her baseball career and the challenges she faced as a Black woman in a sport mostly played by men.
See also
- Connie Morgan
- Mamie Johnson
- Tiffany Brooks
- Women in baseball
