CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Eri Yoshida bounced off the mound with an ear-to-ear smile, looking every bit like an 18-year-old who had just graduated high school and was enjoying a new country.
It was what she did on the pitcher's mound — and in the batter's box — that set Yoshida apart.

Becoming the first woman to pitch professionally in the United States in a decade, Yoshida showed that she and her sidearm knuckler can compete with the men.

The "Knuckle Princess" was unfazed when a former major leaguer opened the game by bunting for a hit. She had a few knucklers that danced almost as much as those of her idol, Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox. She pitched a scoreless first inning in her debut for the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League, before allowing a two-run homer to Juan Velasquez in the second inning.

She added an RBI single in her first at-bat against David Rivas of the Tijuana Cimarrones, leading to a standing ovation from the near sellout crowd on "Girl Power Night." Even her teammates got caught up in the excitement, taking pictures of Yoshida standing on first after her bases-loaded single through the hole between first and second.

Yoshida is the first woman since Ila Borders in 2000 to play professionally in the United States. The 5-foot-1, 115-pound Yoshida is also the first woman to play professionally in two countries, having pitched last year in an independent league in Japan.

Yoshida got off to a much better debut than Borders did in her first game in 1997, when she failed to retire any of the three batters she faced for the Saint Paul Saints of the Northern League.

USA Today

Cooperstown comes calling:

CHICO — The Chico Outlaws announced Thursday that 18-year-old Eri Yoshida, who last week became the first woman to pitch professionally in two countries, will be honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame later this month for her May 29 start against Tijuana. Yoshida's next start is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, against the Yuma Scorpions.

Yoshida's game jersey and bat — which she used to collect the first hit and RBI by a female pro since the Negro Leagues existed — will serve as donations to Cooperstown.

"Eri Yoshida's achievements have been remarkable and represent a historical moment for professional baseball," Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson. "We are pleased that she has agreed to our request & the donation enables us to further tell the story of how women continue to influence and make a difference in the game of baseball today."

Yoshida did not make the Outlaws' road trip to Tijuana, Mexico, that begins the team's series today. Chico is looking to solidify Yoshida's schedule following the 12th; that night will be marked by the Hall of Fame's visit and honorary procedures. Yoshida, stretching alone in the Chico bullpen before game time Thursday, had not yet spoken with her translator or heard the announcement, Outlaws general manager Mike Marshall said.

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If she makes a future trip to Tijuana, she could become the first woman to pitch professionally in three countries...

quote:

If she makes a future trip to Tijuana, she could become the first woman to pitch professionally in three countries...

Correction...make that four countries...she pitched in Canada last week when the Outlaws played the Victoria Seals...