Softballer A.J. Andrews is first woman to receive Gold Glove
The Rawlings Gold Glove, the award given out at the end of the season to each league’s best fielder at every position, has only been given out to men. Which, of course, makes sense since Major League Baseball is restricted to men. But on Saturday at the National Pro FastPitch Championship, the Rawlings Gold Glove was awarded to its very first woman: A.J. Andrews of the Akron Racers.
In case you think this is an honorary trophy, it’s definitely not. Andrews is an A+ fielder who will do anything in pursuit of the ball. In June, she literally destroyed a fence to make a catch.
That fence never had a chance, but it should have known better than to get in her way. Here’s another catch she made in July, which looks like a catch you’d see in an MLB outfield.
Just in case you missed it and want to watch it over and over again #TEAMNPF #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/2rQimuEagA
— USSSA Pride (@USSSAPride) July 23, 2016
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As if Andrews’ amazing style of play isn’t enough, she even has a major leaguer’s attitude when it comes to fielding. From Cut4:
Before the event, Andrews said, “I am astonished, honestly, I was so nervous when they called my name. I didn’t think it was real. If a ball is in the air, if I could get near it, I am going to go hard for it. It’s really cool to get acknowledged for it.”
You know, I can think of a few MLB teams who could use an outfielder like A.J. Andrews. Maybe someday…
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
