Kurys, Sophie M.
Baseball
b. May 14, 1925, Flint, MI
Kurys was by far the greatest base stealer and possibly the greatest player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was virtually unknown until the movie A League of Their Own came out in 1992.
In eight seasons, all with the Racine Belles, she stole 1,114 bases, an average of 139 a year. She had an astounding record in 1946, when she reached base 215 times and stole 201 bases in 203 attempts. She batted .286 that year, had a league record 93 walks in 113 games, and set another league record for fielding percentage by a second baseman, at .973. She led the league in runs scored with 117 and was named most valuable player.
Kurys entered the league when it was organized in 1943 and led in stolen bases six times. She was an All-Star second baseman four years in a row, 1946 through 1949. The Racine franchise folded after the 1950 season and she played professional softball for four more years before retiring.
While her stolen base totals were enhanced by the fact that AAGPBL baselines were only 72 feet long, compared to 90 feet in major-league baseball, Kurys faced a hindrance that major-league runners don't have to worry about it. She played in a short skirt that offered absolutely no protection to her legs when she slid into a base. In such a uniform, it took uncommon courage to slide as often as she did during her career.