Who threw the first pitch?

Maybelle Blair, a 99‑year‑old former Rockford Peach, threw it.

Where did the game take place?

In Springfield, Illinois, at the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League game.

How did Blair throw the pitch?

She threw it from a wheelchair.

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First pitch arrives in Springfield for Women's Pro Baseball League: 'We're ballplayers, too'

First publishedAug 2, 02:00 UTC

Last updatedAug 2, 03:34 UTC · just now ago

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SPRINGFIELD — The Jimmy Dugan character portrayed by Tom Hanks might have told his Rockford Peaches women's baseball team in the 1992 classic “A League of Their Own” that there’s “no crying in baseball.”But there were tears of joy shed at the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League game Saturday in Springfield, where real-life Rockford Peach Maybelle Blair, 99, threw her ceremonial first pitch from a wheelchair to kick off <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2026/07/31/womens-pro-baseball-comes-home-to-illinois-paving-the-way-for-next-generation-of-ballplayers" >the sold-out season opener</a>.More than 4,000 poncho-wearing fans packed the rain-soaked stands, singing along to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” as the Los Angeles Queens went to bat against the New York Heights after a 90-minute weather delay.Both teams came stacked with star power.

Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓

On Saturday, 99‑year‑old Maybelle Blair threw the ceremonial first pitch for the new Women’s Pro Baseball League in Springfield. Blair, who played for the Rockford Peaches in the 1940s, did it from a wheelchair. Fans and players cried tears of joy at the historic moment. The league says the event opens doors for future female baseball players.

Why it matters

It shows that women’s baseball is gaining recognition and support. It encourages girls to see a path to play professionally.

In brief

Who threw the first pitch?: Maybelle Blair, a 99‑year‑old former Rockford Peach, threw it.
Where did the game take place?: In Springfield, Illinois, at the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League game.
How did Blair throw the pitch?: She threw it from a wheelchair.

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First pitch arrives in Springfield for Women's Pro Baseball League: 'We're ballplayers, too'
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Chicago Sun-TimesAug 2, 02:00