WASHINGTON -- Wearing a jacket with “A League of Their Own” proudly scrawled across it, 99-year-old Maybelle Blair beamed from behind her iconic sunglasses.
“Going to any ballpark just makes me happy,” Blair said with a huge smile. “I would love to just live here.”
The Nationals invited Blair to participate in the first pitch ceremony for their home opener on Friday afternoon against the Dodgers. Designed to celebrate baseball’s place in the United States’ 250-year history, the pregame ceremony included those who have impacted the game – past to present.
Blair is a pioneer in women’s baseball. A pitcher, her early playing days included Chicago's National Girls Baseball League in 1947 and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in ‘48. She currently is the honorary chair of the advisory board for the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL).
“It means I'm still on this side of the dirt,” Blair said. “I'm just thrilled to death to be here and to be able to participate in it. It just means the whole world to me, because baseball is life.”
The ceremony began at first base with William Douglas “Doug” Foster Jr., the grand-nephew of Andrew Rube Foster and grandson of William Hendrick Foster, honoring the Negro Leagues.
Foster passed the baseball to Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile, who walked it over to second base, where Blair was waiting in a full batting stance. Blair handed the baseball to Skylar Kaplan, a Glen Burnie, Md., native and member of Team San Francisco in the WPBL.
“Women's baseball has come such a long way since I retired a few years back,” Blair said. “It’s absolutely amazing how it is growing -- and it’s growing faster.”
Kaplan then walked to third base, where she handed Nationals Youth Baseball Academy alumnus Amir Makle the baseball. Makle played baseball at Morehouse College and was one of the first Academy scholar-athletes to graduate college.
Makle walked to the mound and presented the baseball to current Academy scholar-athlete Tre, representing the future of the game. With Foster, Blair, Kaplan and Makle behind him, the fourth-grader hurled an on-target pitch to Lile.
“This is amazing,” said Kaplan. “I've never had the opportunity to do anything like this. It’s super surreal, especially the meaning behind why we're here as well. The path hasn't been easy, but we are starting to grow and get awareness. Girls can play baseball, so it's very cool and I’m very thankful for the Nats for letting us be here.”
Blair is looking forward to the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup this summer in Rockford, Ill. That event, she said, will make her feel “20 years younger.” But before she finishes her day at Nationals Park, she had to stop for must-have concessions.
“Oh, I always have to have a beer and a hot dog before I leave,” she said. “You can't go to a ballpark without a beer and a hot dog.”