High school student Eri Yoshida became the first Japanese woman to face male professional players in her pitching debut with the Kobe 9 Cruise in the season opener of the inaugural Kansai independent league Friday.
The 17-year-old Yoshida, who boasts a sidearm knuckleball in her arsenal of pitches, came on in the ninth inning as the second pitcher with a 5-0 lead over the Osaka Gold Villicanes and worked one-third of an inning, walking one and striking out a batter swinging at Kyocera Dome.
She walked the first batter leading off the inning on four pitches and allowed a stolen base before fanning the next batter in a nine-pitch outing of the 5-0 win.
''I wasn't thinking about anything but just going out there and giving it my all,'' Yoshida said. ''I think this was a bad result but the stadium is great and the fans were really cheering me on. I want to be able to pitch more innings and become a pitcher who can be relied upon.''
Until now, no woman has ever played alongside men in Japan. A women's professional baseball federation was established in 1950 but its activities ceased after two seasons.
The four-team Kansai independent league, which also features the Akashi Red Soldiers and Kishu Rangers, got under way this year.
It is the third professional independent baseball league to be introduced in Japan along with the Shikoku-Kyushu Island League and the Baseball Challenge League, which centers on the Hokushinetsu region.
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