This 1975 archive newspaper photo shows Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell Gilbert, who, decades earlier, had gained fame by striking out Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig in Chattanooga. Archive photo from the Chattanooga News-Free Press via ChattanoogaHistory.com.When it comes to Chattanooga’s contributions to the story of professional baseball in America, the legend of the late Jackie Mitchell has to be near the top.
This 1975 photo of Jackie Mitchell Gilbert, by then a 63-year-old widow living in East Ridge, shows her flashing an impish smile 44 years after her shining day of fame.
On April 2, 1931, Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, then a 17-year-old Chattanooga school girl, took the mound for the Chattanooga Lookouts in an exhibition game against the visiting New York Yankees – one of the world’s most famous sports teams – and struck out baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
It marked one of the most famous moments in Chattanooga sports history.
The male-vs.-female showdown was orchestrated by legendary Lookouts owner Joe Engel, who has been called the “Barnum of Baseball” for his over-the-top minor league promotions.