Jewish woman becomes Yankees batgirl 60 years after team rejected her
Gwen Goldman, 70, also throws out first pitch; still has 1961 letter from then-general manager Roy Hamey explaining that as a girl, she would feel ‘out of place’ in dugout
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAndrew Silow-Carroll is the editor-in-chief of JTA
JTA — If Gwen Goldman had been named a batgirl for the New York Yankees and not been given the honor of throwing out the first pitch, it would have been enough.
A retired social worker from Westport, Connecticut, Goldman, 70, got to be a batgirl at a Yankees baseball game Monday night, 60 years after the US team turned her down because she was a girl.
General Manager Brian Cashman proffered the invite after hearing that she had been rejected for the position in 1961. Goldman still has the letter she received that year from then-GM Roy Hamey, who explained that “a young lady such as yourself would feel out of place in a dugout.”
This week, Goldman not only got a turn in the dugout, but threw out the first pitch, wore the classic Yankee pinstriped uniform, and met the players.
Tonight’s 12th Edition of #HOPEWeek kicked off with honoree Gwen Goldman throwing out the first pitch. pic.twitter.com/lmoPe3lpA5
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 28, 2021
“It just kept coming and coming,” she said of the honors, adding “dayenu,” the Hebrew word meaning that just one of the gestures would have been sufficient.
The Times of Israel Community.