Anything goes, and more…Oakland Ballers pitcher Kelsey Whitmore became the first woman to start a game in the history of the club’s minor Pioneer League, resulting in a 9-8 victory.
Oakland got a new minor league baseball team, the Oakland Ballers (aka the Oakland Bees), to attract Athletics fans who lost fans since the Athletics moved to Las Vegas. And the Ballers’ home opener on Tuesday night at Raimondi Field in West Oakland proved just how effective they are at attracting fans. In fact, the Oakland Athletics also had a home game that night. And according to the Sports Business Journal, the major league Athletics barely beat the minor league Ballers. The Ballers drew 4,120 fans, while the Athletics drew 5,624. Even though the Athletics are playing in a 65,000-seat stadium.
The Oakland Ballers have something extra to brag about after their home game Thursday night. The B’s relief pitchers include Kelsey Whitmore, the first female pitcher in the history of the Pioneer League, the B’s minor league. But according to the Bay Area News Group, Whitmore became the first woman to start in the league’s history when she started Thursday night against the Yolo High Rollers, and the Ballers won the game 9-8.
As you can see in the photo above, Whitmore struck out the first batter he batted on four pitches. As the news group noted, the High Rollers’ next batter reached base with a single but was out attempting to steal second base. The third batter hit an easy-to-catch pop fly, giving Whitmore a 1-2-3 finish to retire the batters of the inning in impressive fashion.
KTVU explains that the start was one of Whitmore’s many historic firsts dating back to her high school days: She became the first woman to be selected for the Temecula Valley High School boys’ team, and after graduating from California State University, Fullerton, she became the first woman to sign (as a pitcher and starter) with a minor league team in the Atlantic League’s Staten Island Ferry Hawks, an MLB affiliate.
“It’s cool to be a part of history and I’m honored to be a part of it,” Whitmore told the Bay Area News Group after Thursday night’s win. “At the end of the day, when you’re doing what you love, things happen. Opportunities come up and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
But Whitmore didn’t technically get the win: She left the game after giving up three runs in the third inning, and then the High Rollers scored five runs in the sixth to take an 8-3 lead. But the B’s stormed back to tie the game.
The Pioneer League has an interesting alternative to extra innings: the Knockout Round. It’s essentially a Home Run Derby, but strikeouts count and each team can only use one batter. The High Rollers’ batters only managed one home run, but the Ballers’ Don’Drej Hubbard hit two, the second of which led to a 9-8 walk-off win.
The Ballers will face off again on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. against the High Rollers at Raimondi Field. Tickets are available to purchase online, and the game will be televised on KPIX’s cable television sister station KPIX+ 44 Cable 12 and radio on KTRB 860 AM. You can also watch the game on subscription-based streaming service FloBaseball.
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Image: Oakland Ballers
