Japanese schoolgirl makes sports history... in Japan.

16-year old Eri Yoshida is the first female in Japan to play pro
in a male-dominated sport.

Baseball is like the mecca of sports in Japan. Way bigger than soccer or basketball. Many Japanese players like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Hideo Nomo are now playing in the US for the MLB. Now, who would've thought a 16 year old schoolgirl would be drafted by a pro baseball league in Japan? Well, surprising as it may be, but that same Japanese schoolgirl's life will be changed forever. Eri Yoshida has just become an instant celebrity in the world of sports.



Yoshida, a 5-foot baseball virtouso has an incerdible knack for pitching. She has become the first female to play with pro male players in Japan's sports history. That's the kind of thing that golfer Michelle Wie has been trying to achieve in the PGA but of course, that didn't happen.

Playing for an independent league is a stepping stone for Yoshida. "I have only just been picked by the team and have not achieved anything," she said. "I want to play as a pro eventually in a higher league."



She could very well be as big as the Pop idols Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamasaki, in the making. The popularity of Eri Yoshida will soon bring out a fan base from the high school boys and perhaps college boys, too. It won't be a surprise if her fellow players in the league would ask for her autograph.

Baseball will now be a bigger hit all thanks to Eri Yoshida and her nasty knuckleball.

Just don't make her mad though. You have been warned.