After 72 years, women's pro baseball returns with Korean pioneer on the mound

Professional women's baseball is making a historic return to the United States with the launch of the Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) on August 2nd. This marks the first time since the dissolution of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1954 that women will have a professional baseball league to play in, a gap of 72 years.

South Korean baseball trailblazer Kim Ra-kyung is set to etch her name in history as the first pitcher to throw a pitch in the WPBL's inaugural game. She will start for the New York team against the Los Angeles team, the only franchise without a South Korean player. Kim Ra-kyung, along with Kim Hyun-ah (catcher for Boston) and Park Ju-a (infielder for San Francisco), are among the 60 women who will become professional baseball players.

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Considering the infrastructure for women's baseball in Korea, the emergence of three professional players is a miracle. I am proud that Korean players have been recognized for their skills.

Kim Ra-kyung, considered a pioneer in South Korean women's baseball, has a history of breaking barriers. She was the youngest player to join the South Korean national team and played for a men's amateur team during high school. She also holds the record for the first female player to participate and pitch in the Korean University Baseball U-League.

Despite facing parental concerns, particularly from her father, a former professional pitcher who witnessed his son's struggles with injuries, Kim Ra-kyung pursued her dream. After elbow ligament surgery, she persevered and successfully passed the WPBL tryouts and draft, being selected by New York as their first-choice pitcher.

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I used to think, 'I'm an oddball' playing baseball with male players since I was young. But seeing these players, I realized, 'I'm not strange. There are many women who love baseball like this.' So I want to prove the value of this league more.

"I used to think, 'I'm an oddball' playing baseball with male players since I was young," Kim Ra-kyung shared. "But seeing these players, I realized, 'I'm not strange. There are many women who love baseball like this.' So I want to prove the value of this league more."

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All WPBL players have had to prove their lives. Pay attention to their extraordinary passion.

WPBL founder Justin Sigel, who is also the first female coach in a men's professional baseball team, emphasized the league's significance. "All WPBL players have had to prove their lives," Sigel stated. "Pay attention to their extraordinary passion."

The WPBL's inaugural season will feature 15 games per team over six weeks, followed by a postseason to crown the first champion. All games will be live-streamed on YouTube, accessible globally.

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At first, I complained, 'How can baseball only last 6 weeks?' But then I thought, 'What else can I ask for? This was my lifelong dream.' I know you can't have everything on the first try, so I'm grateful just for the league's existence.