MANSFIELD — Mary Holda (Elrod) boldly traveled where few before her had ever gone before, and few have ever since.
Holda was born on Sept. 30, 1915, one of nine children (four of them daughters) to George and Mary (Gladdish) Holda.
At the time, Mansfield was an industrial center and her family was part of a growing Polish-American community. This reflected the broader influx of Eastern European immigrants seeking work in the factories and mills of Ohio’s manufacturing towns.
The Mansfield native came to prominence as part of the effort to keep the sport of professional baseball alive during World War II. She was an excellent athlete in an era where such skills were difficult for women to showcase.
Eventually, Mary earned a spot as a utility infielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Her teammates called her Bucky, for her energetic playing style, and she largely earned her keep as a backup infielder. She batted and threw as a righthander.
The AAAGPBL was founded in the spring of 1943 by Chicago Cubs Owner Philip K. Wrigley, when widespread drafting of men into the Armed Forces created an acute player shortage for both major and minor league baseball teams.
Fearing the collapse of the sport, Wrigley envisioned a women’s league to sustain fan interest, drawing on the popularity of women’s softball, which boasted more than 2 million participants in the 1930s.
Chartered as a non-profit organization on Feb. 19, 1943, the league initially operated as the All-American Girls Softball League before transitioning to baseball rules midway through its inaugural season.
Just as in professional baseball, scouts evaluated female talent for the league. Eventually, 75 skilled players advanced to final tryouts at Wrigley Field in Chicago from May 16 to 25, 1943, and 60 were selected to fill rosters for the league’s four founding teams.
Holda was among the original 60 who signed contracts for the 1943 campaign. She wore uniform Number 8, and earned between $45 and $85 per week (probably on the lowest end) with no outside employment allowed to secure focus on the baseball season.
The Blue Sox were managed by former Major League player Bert Niehoff and chaperoned by Rose Virginia Way.
The league enforced strict rules emphasizing femininity and conduct to cultivate a wholesome image, including charm school sessions that taught etiquette, hygiene, makeup application, proper posture, etc. Players wore short-skirted, one-piece uniforms to enhance this image. Curfews and ladylike behavior were also mandatory regulations.
Mary’s Blue Sox finished second in both halves of the season with 28-26 and 30-24 records for an overall mark of 58-50.
Mary and the South Bend Blue Sox played their home games at Bendix Field in South Bend, Indiana, in the league’s inaugural 1943 season. She also earned time as a pinch-hitter and posted a .205 batting average in 29 games. Statistically, she collected 15 hits in 73 at-bats, scored 9 runs, recorded 6 RBIs, drew four walks, and stole 9 bases. She had a .247 on-base percentage and a .205 slugging percentage.
Holda’s likeness is part of a Women in Baseball exhibit displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The exhibit was unveiled on Nov. 5,1988 to honor all the women who participated in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The league gained greater notoriety with the 1992 film A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis.
Holda played just one season in the league and eventually settled in Utica, Ohio, where she was a member of the Church of the Nativity.
Mary lived to be 100 years old and died in Utica, Ohio on April 14, 2016.