As a child, astronaut and philatelist Sally Ride (1951–2012) had no ambitions toward space exploration. Instead, California baseball captured her imagination after the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Ride's native Los Angeles in 1958 and won the following year's World Series.
Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale hits a triple against San Francisco Giants pitcher Jack Sanford in this drawing by Sally Ride. Courtesy Tam O'Shaughnessy
Young Sally Ride's first career aspiration was to succeed the Dodgers' Maurice "Maury" Wills (born 1932) as shortstop. Courtesy Tam O'Shaughnessy
Loan from Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum
Ride's grandfather, Anders Anderson, made this child-sized bat for her and taught her how to swing and hit the ball when she was about seven years old. Her habit of memorizing and analyzing batting averages and pitching statistics bolstered an early interest in mathematics, which led to her career as a physicist and NASA's first female space shuttle astronaut.
Scott Catalogue USA 5283
Unable to play baseball competitively, Ride shifted her athletic interest to tennis and became a nationally ranked college player. She expressed her dual passions for sports and space as a topical stamp collector, a hobby she continued throughout her adult life. Her collection includes stamps commemorating her own achievements. The United States issued a stamp with her portrait in 2018.
