Mamie Johnson died recently. Most people probably don't know why she is considered a pitching pioneer.
In his annual Black History Month essay, Pete Peterson tells us how Johnson - who wasn't allowed to play in a female professional baseball league - made her mark playing with men in the Negro Leagues.
Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, along with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.