On Sunday, Kawasaki high school student and knuckleballer Eri Yoshida (吉田えり) was drafted by the Kobe 9 Cruise, making her the first woman to play professional baseball in Japan.

Yoshida-san is only 16-years old, 5-feet tall (152-centimeters), and 114 pounds (52 kilograms). Still, the right-handed pitcher struck out male batters straight for one inning during professional tryouts. Her strong performance made her one of the 33 players picked in the draft.

The knuckleball is the hardest pitch to throw, catch and hit. Few can master it. Yoshida-san admires Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who has built a successful major league career as a knuckleballer.

The Kobe 9 Cruise, a professional team in a new independent Japanese league that will start its first season in April.
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Tags: baseball, grrl power, kawasaki, Kobe 9 Cruise, red sox, Tim Wakefield, yoshida