Toni Stone was a famous American actress and a singer. Her career has been very successful and has seen her become very rich in the process. In this article we will look into her life and the events that led to her success.
Early life
Toni Stone was an African American professional baseball player. She started her career in the West Coast Negro Baseball League. In 1953, she signed with the Indianapolis Clowns.
In 1954, she was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs. When she was unable to secure playing time, she left the team. She moved back to Oakland in the offseason. At age 72, she retired from professional baseball.
She was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. Her hometown of Oakland proclaimed March 6th as “Toni Stone Day.” The Baseball Hall of Fame paid tribute to her in 1991. It was also noted that she was the first woman to play professional men’s baseball in the Negro Leagues of the 1950s.
During her career, Toni Stone played a variety of positions. She served as second base and a pitcher. As she got older, she worked odd jobs in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. By the time she was in her sixties, she coached semi-professional ball.
Major league baseball career
Toni Stone’s major league baseball career is a true achievement. She paved the way for women in professional baseball. However, it was not all roses and sunshine. In fact, she faced a great deal of sexism, and she was often shunned by teammates.
Her love of baseball began when she was a young girl. Her parents moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, when she was ten. The city’s Catholic priest encouraged her to play on his baseball team.
When she turned 16, she joined a semi-professional team called the Twin City Colored Giants. After a season, she was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs.
During her first year with the Clowns, Toni Stone played fifty games. One of her favorite memories was getting hit by Satchel Paige in an exhibition game. Another was playing against Connie Morgan. During that time, she was paid an annual salary of around $350 to $400.
By the end of her career, Stone had a batting average of.243.
Death
Toni Stone was a very popular baseball player. She made a name for herself and helped break down barriers to female participation in sports. Her legacy is being honoured.
Stone was born in 1921 in Bluefield, West Virginia. Her family moved to the Rondo neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota when she was ten. Stone’s father was a soldier in the American army during World War I. A local Catholic priest encouraged Stone to join a boys baseball team. The priest thought Stone’s athletic ability was remarkable.
Stone excelled at track and football, but she was more at home playing baseball. As a teenager, she competed in the city-wide baseball competition.
She played for several minor league teams. Stone also played for the American Legion, a national network of amateur baseball teams for teenagers.
In her first season, she played in fifty games. Her performance was impressive enough that her contract was sold to the Kansas City Monarchs. After a successful career in baseball, Stone became a nurse and moved to Oakland.
Net worth
The career of baseball player Toni Stone has remained an inspiration to many female athletes. She was the first woman to play professional baseball in the United States and a trailblazer in the women’s game. Her net worth was estimated to be $10 million USD.
At age 16, Toni Stone played end-of-week games with the Twin City Colored Giants. She was paid $2-$3 a game for her efforts. Later, she joined a team for teens in San Francisco, California. This is when she met Captain Aurelious Pescia Alberga. They married in 1950. He was 40 years her senior.
In the late 1950s, she joined the Indianapolis Clowns of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association. She was paid for her exposure and her signing salary was reported to be $12,000 a season. But it is more likely that she earned around $350 to $400 a month.
During her playing career, she was also recognized for breaking gender and racial prejudices. During her time in the Negro League, she was one of three female players to play in the majors.
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