Margaret Holgerson (January 28, 1927 – March 23, 1990) was an American

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

who played from to in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. She batted and threw right-handed. After being married in 1948 she played under the name of Margaret Silvestri.

Early life

Born in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, Marge Holgerson started her career at second base but turned into a solid pitcher after a slow start. She collected a 76–69 record during her seven years in the league, allowing a 1.07 base runner per inning pitched, while her 1.94 career

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

ranks her eighth in the all-time list of AAGPBL pitchers with at least 1,000 innings of work.

Debut Season

Holgerson entered the league in 1946 with the

Rockford Peaches The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois. The Peaches were one of two teams to pla ...

, playing for them through the 1949 mid-season before joining the

Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season, representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. History The 1946 Muskegon Lassies p ...

(1949–1950) and the

Grand Rapids Chicks The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953. History The franchise ...

(1950–1952). She had a natural sidearm delivery, which the league had converted to in 1946. She posted a 2–2 record for Rockford as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, while pitching 33 innings in five starts. At the plate, she hit a .190

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 61 games. In 1947 Holgerson had more opportunities to show her talent. She made 27 pitching appearances, and went 9–15 with a 2.42 ERA and 48

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 201 innings. But she would fare even better in 1948, when the league shifted strictly to overhand motion. She then turned in a competent pitcher, going 16–15 with a 1.92 ERA while setting personal records in wins, games pitched (37), strikeouts (194) and innings (277). She also finished fourth for the most strikeouts, sixth in ERA and seventh in innings. The Peaches, with

Bill Allington William Baird Allington (October 26, 1903 – August 17, 1966) was an American minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" and 160 pounds, Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan. ...

at the helm, advanced to the best-of-five series of the Western Division and swept the

Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games a ...

in three games. Racine repeated the feat in the best-of-five first round, and upset the

Kenosha Comets Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at List of defunct amusement parks#Wisc ...

in three games. In Game 1,

Lois Florreich Kathleen Lois "Flash" Florreich (April 29, 1927 – September 11, 1991) was a pitcher and utility who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., Florreich batte ...

recorded the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

in series history during a 6–0 victory, while Helen Fox followed with a two-hit, 3–2 win in Game 2. Then, Holgerson recorded a second no-hitter against the Comets, 4–0, helping Racine to advance to the final series.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book At the end, the Peaches never gave the

Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...

a chance as Rockford jumped out to a three-game lead and clinched the Championship Title four games to one. Fox won Games 2 and 5 (3–2, 4–2), while Florreich and Holgerson hurled shutouts in Game 1 (1–0) and Game 3 (10–0), respectively. In 1949, Holgerson divided her playing time between Racine and Muskegon, as the league shifted players as needed to help new teams stay afloat. She recorded a solid 1.70 ERA with both clubs, though she ended with a 5–10 mark because of lack of run support from the Lassies. Holgerson opened 1950 with Muskegon and was traded to Grand Rapids during the mid-season. She posted a combined 14–12 record and a 2.00 ERA in 33 games, while striking out 101 batters in 230 innings, ranking sixth both in ERA and strikeouts (101) and seventh in innings pitched (230). In 1951 Holgerson went 16–6, set a career-best 1.53 ERA, and matched her career-high wins mark. She crowned her successful year by ending second with 123 strikeouts, being surpassed only by

Jean Faut Jean Anna Faut insch/Eastman(born November 17, 1925) is an American retired starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 137 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Jean F ...

of the

South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Fi ...

(135). She also finished fourth in ERA and ninth in

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(.727), while tying for fifth in

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s (5), for sixth in

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s (21), and for ninth in innings (200). Holgerson had a 14–9 record with 78 strikeouts and a 2.36 ERA in her final season of 1952, while working 168 innings in 24 pitching appearances. Margaret Holgerson Silvestri, along with her former teammates and opponents, received their long overdue recognition when the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...

dedicated a permanent display to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1988. She died in her homeland of Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 63.

Career statistics

Pitching Batting Fielding Postseason

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holgerson, Margaret All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Rockford Peaches players Muskegon Lassies players Grand Rapids Chicks players Baseball players from Alabama Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama 1927 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American women