Eri Yoshida
From BR Bullpen
Princess Knuckle or Knuckleball Girl
Japan's first female professional ball player made her debut with the Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent League on March 27, 2009 at the Osaka Dome.
She signed with the Kobe club in December 2008 amid speculation that she was nothing more than a publicity stunt designed to attract interest to the new independent league.
During her debut, she walked the first batter she faced on four pitches and allowed a stolen base before striking out the next batter in the ninth inning. She was then replaced after facing only two batters. She did not pitch again until May 28, when she fanned her only opponent. She finished the year with 4 walks, 4 hit batsmen, 3 strikeouts and one run allowed in 3 2/3 IP, going 0-1 in 7 games.
It was announced in October 2009 that she will not be returning to the club in 2010, and will go to university instead. She intends to still be involved with baseball in some fashion, perhaps as an instructor in the future. Some have speculated that the financial difficulty of the independent league had influenced her decision; according to one report: "Yoshida and her teammates went long stretches without pay and the league barely made it through its first season when many sponsors pulled out." [1]
[edit] Biographical info
She started playing baseball in the second grade. She is the first woman to play against men in Japan and hopes to emulate Tim Wakefield with her side-armed knuckeball.
sources:
- New twist to swing and a miss, The Toronto Star, page S5, March 28, 2009. Associated Press article, author not given.
