"Knuckle Princess" Eri Yoshida to Make
May 26, 2010 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release
(Chico, CA. May 26th, 2010) The Chico Outlaws, members of the independent Golden Baseball League, have announced Japanese female knuckleballer Eri Yoshida will make her first U.S. professional start on Saturday May 29th when she goes to the hill against the Tijuana Cimarrones.
Game time on "Girl Power Night" sponsored by Habitat Women Build is set for 7:05 pm at Nettleton Stadium in Chico and Yoshida will make history with her first pitch, becoming the first women to play professionally in two countries. As for American baseball, Ila Borders pitched in the independent Northern League for the Saint Paul Saints, Duluth-Superior and Madison in the late 1990's; since then no woman has pitched in a professional game. Borders finished her three year career with a 2-4 overall record.
Yoshida, 18, signed with the Outlaws in April of this year after pitching in the Arizona Winter League (AWL), an instructional league run by the Golden Baseball League in Yuma, AZ. Both General Manager Mike Marshall and Field Manager Garry Templeton had the opportunity to see her pitch; Marshall as her manager and Templeton as an opposing manager.
The Outlaws drafted Yoshida, dubbed the "Knuckle Princess" by the Japanese media, out of the AWL and she reported to spring training in Chico during the first week of May to much fanfare. With media requests ranging from the Jimmy Kimmel Show and CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, to ESPN, MLB Network and just about every major Japanese media outlet, Saturday's start is drawing interest both nationally and internationally.
The Outlaws open the home portion of their 2010 season on Friday May 28th, which is Fireworks Night presented by Enloe Medical Center and the 25th Anniversary Salute to Flight Care. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:35 pm at Nettleton Stadium, with the fireworks show to begin immediately after the game.
Full-season tickets and mini-plans are available, as are single game tickets. To purchase tickets, you can call the Outlaws office at 530-345-3210, buy them online at www.chicooutlaws.com or stop in person at the Outlaws office located at 313 Walnut Street, Suite 110.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from May 26, 2010
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