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99-year-old former women's baseball league player throws first pitch as new league launches 72 years later
🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

99-year-old former women's baseball league player throws first pitch as new league launches 72 years later

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • A new professional women's baseball league, the WPBL, has launched in the United States, 72 years after the original league disbanded.
  • The opening game featured 99-year-old Mabel Blair, an original member of the AAGPBL, who threw the ceremonial first pitch.
  • Korean pitcher Kim Ra-kyung made history as the first starting pitcher in the revived league, despite her team's loss.

The roar of the crowd returned to the baseball diamond for a historic occasion on Sunday, as the Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) kicked off its inaugural season 72 years after the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) folded.

I've waited more than 70 years. Waiting a few more minutes is nothing.

— AnnouncerThe announcer spoke to the crowd as the opening game was delayed by rain.

The league's revival was marked by the presence of Mabel Blair, 99, a founding member of the AAGPBL, who threw the ceremonial first pitch from her wheelchair. Blair, who inspired Madonna's character in the film "A League of Their Own," expressed her profound joy at witnessing the return of professional women's baseball after a seven-decade wait. "I've never been so nervous in my 99 years," she told ESPN. "Women's professional baseball has returned after more than 70 years. I couldn't be happier."

Korean pitcher Kim Ra-kyung etched her name in the history books as the first starting pitcher for the new league. Despite her team, the New York Belles, ultimately losing 10-8 after a late-game collapse, Kim pitched four innings, striking out four batters and recording the league's first out and first strikeout. Her journey to this moment was arduous, having faced skepticism about her dream of becoming a baseball player in a world without professional leagues for women. She previously broke barriers as the first woman to play in Korea's Little League and college leagues.

I've never been so nervous in my 99 years. Women's professional baseball has returned after more than 70 years. I couldn't be happier.

— Mabel BlairMabel Blair, a founding member of the AAGPBL, spoke to ESPN before throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

The opening game drew over 4,000 spectators, eager to witness this new chapter in women's sports. The WPBL features four teams, with all games played at Robin Roberts Stadium. The league aims to showcase that women can excel in baseball, not just softball, a message Blair urged the players to embody. Other Korean players, catcher Kim Hyun-ah and infielder Park Ju-a, are set to make their league debuts soon.

Show them that women can play baseball, that they don't necessarily have to play softball.

— Mabel BlairMabel Blair urged the WPBL players to prove women's capabilities in baseball.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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