Eri Yoshida’s artifacts coming to Hall of Fame

CHICO, Calif. – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will receive a game jersey and the bat used to become the first woman in more than 50 years to collect a hit in a men’s professional league from Eri Yoshida’s May 29 debut with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League.

Yoshida, a knuckleballer, became the first woman to pitch professionally in two countries when she worked three innings against the Tijuana Cimarrones. She retired seven of the first 10 batters she faced, and also recorded her first professional base hit and RBI – the first hit by a woman in a pro game in more than 50 years.

"Eri Yoshida's achievements have added another chapter to the historic roles women are playing in professional baseball," said National Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. "We are pleased that she has agreed to donate her Chico Outlaws game jersey and bat from her first appearance in a professional game. As the first woman to collect a hit in a men's professional league since the Negro Leagues era, these artifacts will enable us to further illustrate how women are shaping the game today."

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent not-for-profit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.

The Museum's collections contain more than 38,000 three-dimensional artifacts representing all facets of the game, from its inception in the mid-19th century to present. Three-dimensional artifacts include bats, baseballs, uniforms, player equipment, ballpark artifacts, awards, artwork, textiles, tickets, collectibles and assorted memorabilia.