Bill Holland

Elvis William Holland (February 28, 1901 – December 3, 1973) was an American professional baseball pitcher and outfielder in the Negro leagues. He played from 1919 to 1941. In newspaper reports, he is often referred to as "Bill" Holland, and had the nicknames of "Speed" and "Devil."

Early career Holland debuted in Richmond, Indiana as a teenager in 1918 with the Richmond Giants, a team that had also featured Negro league legends Oscar Charleston and Connie Day during the season. Holland started games on consecutive days, pitching twenty innings in less than twenty-four hours. He only allowed five earned runs while striking out twenty-four hitters. After the Negro National League was founded, Holland got his start working for the Indianapolis ABCs baseball club, before being sold to the Detroit Stars in 1920. At age 51, Holland received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever.

Rankings In Negro league history According to Seamheads, in official league games across Negro league history, Holland ranks fifth in strikeouts and complete games (1,094 and 173 respectively), and tenth in wins (116).