Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the first woman player in the Negro baseball league, pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns. Photo: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Indianapolis produced a baseball legend — but she's better known outside the city that made her famous.
Details: Mamie "Peanut" Johnson played for the Indianapolis Clowns 1953-55.
- She was the first woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues and one of only three women to make it.
- She had tried to compete in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, but she was denied entry because of her race.
- She had a 33-8 record as a pitcher.
Flashback: Ten years ago this month, Washington, D.C., dedicated a baseball field to Johnson.
- There's also a mural honoring her on U Street in D.C.
- Johnson died in 2017 at 82.
The bottom line: Johnson is one of the most trailblazing athletes to come through Indianapolis, which makes you wonder why it's hard to find traces of her legacy here.
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