First Woman to Pitch Batting Practice
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 4:33 AM
Outside of the great weather (we love 120 degree heat), awesome Mexican food, and one of the great things about living in Phoenix is Cactus League Baseball.
The Valley is buzzing with players reporting to 15 big league camps, all within an hour of each other, and the start of Spring Training games this Friday. But there is a story that is starting to get some buzz.
On Monday, Justine Siegal made history as she was the first woman ever to pitch batting practice to MLB ball players.
Siegal is 36 and plays and coaches a baseball team in Massachusetts. This past winter, Siegal petitioned every MLB team to let her join practice.
The first team to say yes was her the team from her hometown, the Cleveland Indians. After their season last year, anything could help this spring.
"I'm here to show that women and girls love this game as well. It's not a men's game, its a game for everyone," she says.
And while she was making history at practice, as the first woman to pitch to big-leaguers, Siegal wore a patch in honor of Christina Taylor Green, the 9-year-old killed in the Tucson shooting.
Green was the only girl on her little league baseball team.
"When I was standing on the mound throwing I was not alone, you know. I had Christina Taylor Green's memory with me and all the girls who dream about doing something like this."
Christina's grandfather is former Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green who led Philly to their first World Series title in 1980. Her father John is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Siegal threw to a group of minor leaguers, whose wide eyes suggested that they had never quite seen a changeup like hers. In preparation for this week, Siegal, a former high school and amateur player, threw batting practice for a number of college teams and strengthened her arm with the help of a personal trainer.
Indians Manager Manny Acta described her work as “pretty impressive.”
“It was wonderful to have her pitch for us because she’s from Cleveland,” Acta said. “I believe her dad and grandfather still have season tickets. It’s multigenerational. For her to do this with our ball club was very special.”
First Woman to Pitch Batting Practice: MyFoxPHOENIX.com
Patrick Gallagher
The D League Show
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