- In Springfield, the Women’s Pro Baseball League got under way with a game at Robin Roberts Stadium.
- Los Angeles Queens beat New York Heights 10-8 in the season opener; Aia Satō won for Queens.
- According to WPBL’s 65-game schedule, ESPN will broadcast all 37 league games.
In Springfield (Maybelle Blair), the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) got under way with a matchup between the league’s teams at Robin Roberts Stadium. According to AP, the first game was played between the Los Angeles Queens and New York Heights, while Forbes said the match started in the middle of the season.
In the season opener, Los Angeles Queens took an early lead with a 7-2 record, while New York Heights went 10-8. According to AP, Aia Satō won for Queens after hitting a home run (her first career) at 10 wins, while Forbes said the first hit for Los Angeles came from Maggie Foxx, and WPBL’s first home run was hit by Denae Benites.
According to AP, in the 65-game schedule, the average number of starts was 33 for the league’s players, 11 — for Canada, and 1 — for Japan. The material also states that Aia Satō is the only player whose WPBL batting average was 1.0, which is why ESPN will broadcast all 37 league games.
Forbes notes that the WPBL season was split into two parts, with the league’s strongest teams playing in the first half, and the remaining teams playing in the second. The material also says that the next home run was hit by Maybelle Blair, who is the league’s first home run hitter, and that in Springfield there were 1875 games between the first professional women’s baseball teams.
According to AP, the season’s games are scheduled for Boston Hunters and San Francisco Firebells. The material also notes that Alli Schroder was selected with the No. 5 pick in the November WPBL draft by the Hunters, while Aia Satō — a pitcher — was chosen as the 36-year-old to lead the championship team of the Cubs in the final series against Japan.