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

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Ayami Sato wants to learn and teach during the inaugural season of the Women’s 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).

“It’s incredible and meaningful that Japanese players now have the opportunity to play in this league, too,” Sato said through a translator. “I’m 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’re just afraid of (leaving) the country.”

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 a dramatic 10-8 victory 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’s 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 WPBL's November draft were from outside the U.S., led by Sato at No. 2 overall. Shortstop Thaima Maximiliana, the league's lone player from Curaçao, 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.

“To have the opportunity to shape a franchise for the first time is super exciting,” Schroder said. “I’m 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’s even more than that.”

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.

“Japan has a rich baseball culture and one of the biggest things I’d like to bring (to) this league is the importance of preparation,” Sato said. “From my experience in Japan, I’ve learned that when you prepare well, you’re able to perform at your best.”

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

“One of the things I really love about American baseball is how players fully embrace who they are,” she said. “So they express their personalities without holding back. And I think that’s something really special. It’s something I’d like to learn from while I’m here as well.”

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