Women鈥檚 Pro Baseball League has strong contingent of international players for inaugural season

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) 鈥� Ayami Sato wants to learn and teach during the inaugural season of the Women鈥檚 Pro Baseball League. She also wants to help establish the WPBL as a viable option for international players.

Widely considered the top female pitcher in the world, Sato is one of eight WPBL players born in Japan on rosters going into the league’s first weekend. The United States accounted for 33 of the league’s 65 players, followed by Canada (11), Japan, Mexico (five) and Australia (four).

鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible and meaningful that Japanese players now have the opportunity to play in this league, too,鈥� Sato said through a translator. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure there are many talented players in Japan who have dreams of playing here, but until now not many have been able to take the first step because Japan is such a small island and there are so many obstacles, like (the) language barrier, or they鈥檙e just afraid of (leaving) the country.鈥�

Sato pitched three innings for Los Angeles in the WPBL’s first game on Saturday night. She surrendered seven runs, four earned, and 10 hits, but the Queens rallied for over the New York Heights. South Korea’s Rakyung Kim allowed four runs in four innings for New York.

The WPBL’s inaugural season is being played at Springfield鈥檚 Robin Roberts Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 5,200 and opened in 1925. The Boston Hunters and San Francisco Firebells were lined up for the second game in the four-team league on Sunday night.

Eight of the top 20 players selected in the were from outside the U.S., led by Sato at No. 2 overall. Shortstop Thaima Maximiliana, the league’s lone player from Cura莽ao, went to Los Angeles at No. 18.

Team Canada star Alli Schroder was the No. 5 pick. She was named captain of the Hunters on Friday.

鈥淭o have the opportunity to shape a franchise for the first time is super exciting,鈥� Schroder said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to build from the ground up. I think that this was a dream of mine just to play professional baseball. So now to be a captain, it鈥檚 even more than that.鈥�

The 36-year-old Sato is one of the league’s most accomplished players. She is a six-time World Cup champion with Team Japan, winning the tournament MVP award three times.

鈥淛apan has a rich baseball culture and one of the biggest things I鈥檇 like to bring (to) this league is the importance of preparation,鈥� Sato said. 鈥淔rom my experience in Japan, I鈥檝e learned that when you prepare well, you鈥檙e able to perform at your best.鈥�

But Sato also is hoping playing in the WPBL will be an educational experience for her as well.

鈥淥ne of the things I really love about American baseball is how players fully embrace who they are,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o they express their personalities without holding back. And I think that鈥檚 something really special. It鈥檚 something I鈥檇 like to learn from while I鈥檓 here as well.鈥�

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