A 16 year old girl from Japan has become the first woman to be drafted to a professional baseball team in Japan.
Eri Yoshida is in high school and has been chosen by the Japanese professional team Kobe 9 Cruise, which is an independent league starting its first season in April. Her baseball influence is Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield known for his knuckleball.
In the tryouts held earlier this month, no male hitter could hit one of the balls she threw. This helped Yoshida become one of the only 33 players picked in the draft. About this triumph Yoshida says, “I always dreamed of becoming a professional. I have only just been picked by the team and haven't achieved anything yet.”
But we think that this is an amazing accomplishment by such a young girl and we wish her all the best in the upcoming season!