Sophie Kurys
| Sophie Kurys | |||
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Born: May 14, 1925 Flint, Michigan |
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Died: February 17, 2013 (aged 87) Scottsdale, Arizona |
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Sophie Kurys (May 14, 1925 – February 17, 2013) was a former second basewoman who played from 1943 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 115 lb., Kurys batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Kurys was by far the greatest base stealer in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history. She was nicknamed Tina Cobb or the Flint Flash for her swiftness in stealing bases, because once she reached base she was virtually unstoppable. Eighty percent of the time she stole at least one base, averaging 150 steals per season between 1944 and 1950, with a career-high 201 in 1946. Besides this, she amassed a World Record with a career 1,114 stolen bases, more than Ty Cobb (892), and later more than both Lou Brock (938) and Japanese star Yutaka Fukumoto (1,065), until her mark was surpassed by Rickey Henderson in 1994. Her 201 stolen bases in a single season still stands as a professional record, collecting 71 more than Henderson (130), who set the Major League Baseball single-season record in 1982. But like many of her colleagues, Kurys was relatively unknown until the 1992 film A League of Their Own by filmmaker Penny Marshall was exhibited for the first time.
A well-rounded athlete, at the age of 14 Kurys scored 4,693 points out of 5,000 in the Mott Pentathlon, to set a record. That year she also was Most Valuable Player of the Michigan State Basketball Tournament at Lansing. In addition, she was a competent infielder at shortstop and third base in fastpitch softball. Kurys did not even play second base until joining the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, yet she immediately became the best in the game at the position.
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