AAGPBL Interview - Lillian Faralla

Lillian played for six years in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and threw a pair of no-hitters in 1948. She took the time to answer a few of our questions.

1) How did you get interested in playing baseball and where did you play before you turned pro?

I started playing softball when I was 14 years old. I played for a team in San Pedro, California.

2) Describe your signing.

I signed a contract when I tried out for the Peoria Redwings in 1946.

3) What position(s) did you play? Which teams did you play for?

I played right field, third base, second base and pitched. I was with Peoria in 1946, Ft. Wayne in 1947, South Bend in 1948-9 and 1951 and Kalamazoo in 1950.

4) What was the best thing about playing pro ball?

Enjoying somethign you like to do and getting paid for it.

5) What was the worst thing about playing ball?

Hardly any time off.

6) What was the highlight of your career?

Pitching two no-hitters in 1948.

7) Who were the best players you played with or faced? Comments?

Played with: Betsy Jochum, Jean Faut, Vivian Kellogg, Lab Mahon and Doris Sams. Faced: Dorothy Kamenchek, Sophie Kurys, Mildred Earp and Doris Sams.

8) Do you think the fans and press accepted you more as the years wore on? (Describe how it was when you started. Did increased exposure change some minds?)

Fans were there when I arrived three years after the start of the league.

9) Who were your favorite big league ballplayers during the era you played in?

I played during the war years. I only followed the LA Dodgers, formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers.

10) Do you follow big league ball now? If so, how do you think it compares with your day?

Yes - Athletes are overpaid and seem only to play for the money - not for the love of the game.

11) Should women have their own pro league, should they play in the majors, or should we have both (a women's league and the chance for the best women players to play in the majors?)

Women should have their own league. The game should be adapted for women players.

12) How do you feel about the Silver Bullets?

They were good, but should have had two teams touring. Against men they were awful.

13) Briefly describe your life since your pro career ended.

Very usual.

14) What advice do you have for young women who want to become pro ballplayers?

You can always try.

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