Almost eight decades after she last played baseball, Maybelle Blair returned to the diamond—in a wheelchair—to inaugurate the new women’s US baseball league.
It brought Blair’s uniquely American story full circle—and she wasn’t going to miss it for anything.
“I tell you, I broke four ribs recently,” the 99-year-old told a news crew from WICS. “But nothing was going to stop me from being here—even if I had to crawl.”
Maybelle played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that launched amid the backdrop of World War II and was memorably depicted in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own.
Last weekend, Maybelle, who pitched for the Peoria Redwings during the 1948 season, was on the field in Springfield, Illinois, to help celebrate the first game of the new Women’s Professional Baseball League.
The WPBL threw out the first pitch on August 1, seven decades after the old league was disbanded, with four city teams that will play all their games here in Springfield, which once had a franchise in the All-American League.
Maybelle, who’s an honorary member of the league’s advisory board, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the inaugural game between the LA Queens and the NY Heights.
She also got to meet the league’s mascot Maybelle—perhaps the only time a person has been introduced to their mascot self.
“It was a magical couple of days,” recalled Jamie Toole of the Springfield’s Robin Roberts Stadium. “The most emotional that I’ve ever been at a ballpark or a sporting event.”
In the game, New York’s Denae Benites hit the league’s first home run and was a perfect 4-4 in the batter’s box, adding three stolen bases to her impressive stat line. But the Queens scored four runs in the final inning to cap a historic day with a dramatic flair.
“I feel incredibly grateful and happy that I can finally stand on the stage I once only dreamed about,” Japanese player Ayami Sato, who pitched three innings for the Queens, told the USA Today.
“I believe there are many players in this league who have carried the same dreams in their hearts, and I feel so fortunate and happy to be able to play alongside them.’’
This first WPBL season will feature 30 games and runs through September. The league hopes to continue gaining support with an eye toward expanding to add more teams next year.
“What they’re doing is bigger than baseball,” said Jean Fruth, who created the documentary SEE HER, BE HER about women baseball players around the world.
“Their impact reaches far beyond the game. It’s about showing the next generation that there is a place for them in this sport and helping them believe that anything is possible.’’
One notable player in the WPBL is Mo’ne Davis, who played in the 2014 Little League World Series, where she became the first girl to throw a shutout.
But, all of the athletes are following in the trailblazing footsteps of Maybelle Blair—who inspired the character Mae Mordabito (nicknamed ‘All the Way Mae’), played by Madonna in the film starring Tom Hanks.
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Maybelle got a little misty-eyed at the game, saying, “This is the happiest day of my life.”
But everyone knows ‘there’s no crying in baseball’—even if the sport is finally back for women after 72 years.
“Maybelle’s been sticking with us since the beginning of this journey,” Benites told NBC Sports. “She’s paved a path for us, and I’m so happy that she got to make it out here.”
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