A landmark in athletics… and gender equality
Gender equity has been difficult to come by when it comes to how much a woman earns versus how much a man earns. Numerous countries have been more forward thinking, leaving the door open for women to prosper in their careers and ability to access short-term credit like payday loans. On the other hand, some countries hold to antiquated ideas that a woman should not receive equal pay for equal work or have the freedom to climb the career ladder. This inequity has never been acceptable; considering the current state of the world economy, it makes less sense than ever.
But how about this? In Japan, a nation whose history has been largely devoid of male-female equality, a young woman by the name of Eri Yoshida, 17, signed a contract in December 2008 to pitch in professional baseball. She is Japan’s first female pro pitcher, and her recent debut against all-male competition was promising. Could women be on their way into the salary bracket of professional baseball players? I have little doubt that the talent is out there… but is this opportunity knocking?
Yoshida pitched a scoreless debut
Alden Gonzalez reports for MLB.com that the side-arming knuckleballer of the Kobe 9 Cruise struck out a batter in her professional debut. The rookie hurler entered in the ninth inning of the Kansai Independent League season opener in Osaka, Japan. After walking her first batter on four straight pitches and giving up a steal, the 5-foot-, 114 hurler set the next batter down swinging before being taken out. Per Associated Press reports, Yoshida’s club beat the Osaka Gold Villicanes 5-0 before an enthusiastic Osaka Dome crowd of 11,592.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything other than just going out there and giving it my all,” said Yoshida. While she wasn’t happy with being removed after two batters - ” I want to be able to pitch more innings and become a pitcher who can be relied upon.” – Yoshida was happy that “the fans were really cheering me on.”
Float on, pitcha
Yoshida, who according to Gonzalez began playing baseball while in second grade, hopes to stay on with the Cruise, which is considered a farm system club for the Japanese majors. The media originally considered Yoshida’s signing a publicity stunt to attract attention to the new Kansai league, but with additional game experience, perhaps they’ll change their tune. If her career is at all similar to that of her favorite player – knuckleballer Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox – then she’ll make millions proud. May your butterfly pitch weave its way to a long, successful career, Ms. Yoshida. Gokouun o inorimasu!
Related Videos:
A knuckleballer? No wonder they drafted a 16 year old, never mind a girl. (Which is awesome.) A true Knuckle ball pitcher is a thing to have, as it is the hardest pitch to throw, and also to hit, and supposedly impossible to coach. There are only 3 knuckleball pitchers in all of MLB, and there has never been many of them.