The Los Angeles Queens won the first WPBL championship on Tuesday 22 September, beating the San Francisco Firebells 2–0 in a winner-takes-all Game 5 at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. Veteran Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato threw the first complete-game shutout in Women’s Pro Baseball League history and was named championship MVP, according to MLB.com.
The win completed a historic first season for the league. It is the first women’s professional baseball league in the United States since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which folded in 1954.
How the Queens Won the WPBL Championship
Both runs arrived in the third inning. Sarah Edwards drew a walk, Diana Ibarra reached on an error and Mo’ne Davis singled to load the bases, The IX Sports reported.
Ayuri Shimano then hit a line drive that deflected off first baseman Andréanne Leblanc’s glove, bringing in the opening run. After that, captain Ashton Lansdell grounded to shortstop and a second run scored on the fielder’s choice.
That was all Los Angeles needed. In fact, the Queens managed only two hits all night, the fewest by a winning team all season, WAND-TV noted.
Ayami Sato Delivers a Historic Shutout
Sato went the full seven innings on 71 pitches. She allowed five hits, walked nobody and struck out one batter, according to The IX Sports.
The performance was a turnaround for the 36-year-old. Sato had carried a 6.09 ERA across seven earlier appearances, Yahoo Sports reported. Even so, she arrived with a huge international record, having helped Japan win six straight Women’s Baseball World Cup titles.
“My mind and my pitching connected successfully, and we won,” Sato said afterwards, as quoted by MLB.com. She finished the final series with two wins and six strikeouts across 11 innings.
A WPBL Championship Series That Went the Distance
The WPBL championship series needed all five games. Los Angeles took a 2–0 lead, but San Francisco hit back with two lopsided wins to force a decider, according to Yahoo Sports.
Several players stood out across the series. Queens catcher Maggie Foxx hit .474 and scored six runs, while Firebells slugger Joely Leguizamon batted .500 with seven RBIs, The IX Sports reported.
Lansdell, the Queens captain, summed up the moment in simple terms. “Women can play some dang good baseball,” she told MLB.com. Manager Eric Young Sr. also recalled that Sato had told him at their first meeting that she wanted to be a champion.
What the First WPBL Season Achieved
The league launched with four teams, and every game this season was played in Springfield. It sold more than 55,000 tickets and generated about $1.3 million in revenue, Yahoo Sports reported. Meanwhile, The IX Sports said 69 players appeared in regular-season games.
The Queens’ title run was also a surprise. They finished the regular season with an 8–7 record before winning when it mattered most.
For more title stories from this month, read how India won a record eighth Women’s Asia Cup and how the USA took the Basketball World Cup crown.
