When John Baker hurled a pitch, the ball looked like it had been shot out of a cannon. So Baker naturally was called “Cannonball” during his impressive 26 year career which ended in 1953. By then Baker had played in four ASA national championships, compiling a 6-2 record and won 780 games and lost only 120. He fanned more than 10, 000 batters and hurled 58 no-hitters. The first Connecticut softball player elected to the Hall of Fame, Baker was born October 30, 1912 and started playing softball at 11. By 21 he had become one of the top pitchers in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. In 1934, Baker received and accepted an invitation to play for Westport, CT in the ASA national tournament in Chicago. Baker went 2-1 and was invited to go East. He never left. In a 1937 charity game, Baker fanned the legendary baseball slugger Babe Ruth. Ruth said to the catcher, “If you’re catching those, you might as well catch them in front of the plate because I can’t hit them.” Baker died December 27, 1997 at age 85.
