r/MadeMeSmile • u/gravityVT • Aug 31 '26
Good Vibes first walk off in women’s pro baseball league
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u/pdx_pierat Aug 31 '26
Ruth Babe.
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u/KubelsKitchen Aug 31 '26
The Sultana of Swat!
The Queen of Krash! The Colossus of Clout! The Colossus of Clout! The Great Bambina!97
u/gjcij2203 Aug 31 '26
It's my step dad's ball! It signed by some woman named Ruth.
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u/VanimalCracker Aug 31 '26
She was eyeballing that pitch like "yep gonna launch TF out of this one"
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u/LawyerFriendLenny Aug 31 '26
"We are the members of, the all American league, we come from cities near and far. We've got Canadians, Irish ones and Swedes we're all for one we're one for all we're all American."
This song has been stuck in my head since 1992 😄
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u/Big_Lab_Jagr Aug 31 '26
I have two chickens named Dottie and Kit
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u/CleanSheetsFeelGood Aug 31 '26
I’ve got a dog named Marla Pooch
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u/LawyerFriendLenny Aug 31 '26
HA!
"I'm singin for Nelson...aint I baby?" 😂
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u/SinamonChallengerRT Aug 31 '26
"What a hitter!"
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u/EliteJoz Aug 31 '26
"What do you suggest?"
"A lot of night games."
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u/SinamonChallengerRT Aug 31 '26
"Gracefully and Grandly, Gracefully and Grandly"
She's walking like Frankenstien. :)
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u/Danger_Peanut Aug 31 '26
Should have been Dottie and Dottie’s sister.
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u/Ummmgummy Aug 31 '26
While Dottie was gorgeous obviously as a kid I had a crush on Kit. Not sure why
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u/ComfyInDots Aug 31 '26
One of my all time favourite movies and the reason I want to watch a baseball game one day (I am not a sports person AT ALL).
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u/The_BAHbuhYAHguh Aug 31 '26
I beg you too! There’s something about being in the stadium with all the fans! There’s a whole ambiance there that I think you’d really enjoy
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u/ComfyInDots Aug 31 '26
I think so too! I want to wear a team hat and eat a hot dog, sit in the stands and cheer with the crowd.
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u/travelingtraveling_ Aug 31 '26
As somebody who has gone to some of the games I can tell you, it's just as fun as you imagine it!
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u/OrdinaryBicycle3 Sep 01 '26
This is one of those movies I'm so excited to share with my kids when they're older. I'm also fully preparing my heart for the possibility they won't care about it at all. 🥲
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u/spageddy77 Aug 31 '26
the firebells has to be one of the dopest names in pro sports right now.
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u/galway1126 Aug 31 '26
Sounds like super Mario sluggers name, awesome
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u/NePasToucher Aug 31 '26
And named for a San Francisco historical baddie!
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u/TheFeelsGoodMan Aug 31 '26
Even their logo is good. Phoenix and a bell all in one. Quality.
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u/localband Aug 31 '26
I realized last night that the bell also connects to the cable cars, Ding! Ding!
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u/coasterkev Aug 31 '26
I didn't really like the name at first, but after reading the origin, I think it's really cool now. I'll be looking more into Firebell Lil. Thanks for posting the link!
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u/loupr738 Aug 31 '26
I like when we get some history behind team names. Great names too
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Aug 31 '26
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u/jberryman Aug 31 '26
I was ready to come after OP too, but this league is only a month old and this is indeed the very first walk-off.
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Aug 31 '26
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u/doodle02 Aug 31 '26
no kidding; pretty cool that the first walk off homer was a grand slam.
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u/KitchenPalentologist Aug 31 '26
On a full count with two outs, no less.
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u/Tony_in2026 Aug 31 '26
Pfft not impressed. This happens every time a little kid plays imaginary baseball.
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u/FlyingSquirelOi Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
So is a walk off just a homerun? And what’s a grand slam? Runners on all the bases and then a homer?
Edit- thanks for the explanations everyone x
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u/drummerboy2749 Aug 31 '26
Kind of. A walk-off is any event (a hit, home run, walk, balk, etc.) in the final at-bat of the game that allows the home team to take the lead and win.
You're correct that a grand slam is a bases-loaded home run.
So a walk-off grand slam is a bases-loaded home run that turns a tie or a deficit into a win, ending the game immediately.
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u/Hugo_5t1gl1tz Aug 31 '26
Walk off balk is of course, my favorite type of walk off
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u/drummerboy2749 Aug 31 '26
Agreed. It’s the most soul crushing too if you’re at the other end of it 🤣
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u/Fedor1 Aug 31 '26
Im still waiting for the first walk off pitch clock violation
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u/5litergasbubble Aug 31 '26
I just know that its gonna happen to the mariners if we make it to the playoffs again….
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u/tfurman77 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
It was also the bottom of the last inning so it ended the game. That’s the extra bit that makes it a ‘walk off’.
ETA: It also put her team in the lead. If they had still been losing or tied, it wouldn’t have been a walk off.11
u/dalcarr Aug 31 '26
Yeah a grand slam is when there are runners on all bases and the batter hits a home run
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u/Awol540 Aug 31 '26
A walk off home run is a game ending home run. By definition must be hit at the bottom of the ninth inning by the home team (home team always plays the the bottom of the ninth inning).
A grand slam is a home run with bases loaded (all bases have runners on them).
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u/JMC_FLY Aug 31 '26
Slight addition, any game winning hit in the bottom of the 9th or later is a walk-off, provided the games goes into extra innings. Extra innings being any additional inning that needs to be played in ordee to break a tie at the end of the 9th.
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u/Chase_the_tank Aug 31 '26
A game is divided into innings. The away team gets a chance to score points in the first half ("the top of the inning") of the inning, the home team gets a chance points to score in the second half ("the bottom of the inning.
During the last inning:
- If the home team is already ahead when it's their turn to play, they automatically win.
- If the home team takes the lead during the bottom of the inning, play stops (and everybody walks off the field).
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u/pinniped90 Aug 31 '26
It might be the first walk-off of any kind, given that the league is new this year.
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u/Pittsbirds Aug 31 '26
I don't know anything about baseball so I was expecting someone to like, storm off the field in protest or something
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u/Ok-Lifeguard-4614 Aug 31 '26
Thanks for that, I mean by the end of the video I assumed that to be the case but initially it was confusing.
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u/Gumbercules81 Aug 31 '26
Why is that?
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u/Elmodipus Aug 31 '26
Smaller roster (15 vs MLB's 26) so less available players in rotation
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u/AnatidaephobiaAnon Aug 31 '26
New league, more than likely. The original AAGPBL in the 40s played with modified rules and equipment for the first few seasons and then eventually moved to more standard rules. A lot of these players are coming from softball which is drastically different when it comes to equipment (bats, balls and gloves) to bases and pitching mounds and the entire size of the field.
I wouldn't be shocked that they eventually move to a 9 inning game at some point.
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u/Chucktayz Aug 31 '26
TIL there’s women’s pro baseball
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
It's pretty new so you're not late or anything
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u/Shijaki Aug 31 '26
So they probably all grew up playing softball, right? Pitching underhanded? That seems like a pretty crazy transition to have to make
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
Lots of them came up through the boy's baseball system, but yes tons of softball players too.
The League is made up by a whole lot of "not the only girl on the team but the only girl playing baseball in the region" players
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u/SeaLeopard5555 Aug 31 '26
and I was pretty excited to see multiple teams with girls in the LLWS, including the team that made it from the US to the Championship game (Nevada). They lost to Curacao tho, who had been smoking opponents all along.
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u/Worthyness Aug 31 '26
This specific one literally started this season, so you're all good.
Japan has their own league as well and that one has been established for much longer.
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u/anon_capybara_ Aug 31 '26
It’s really fun to watch! They’re on ESPN streaming or on YouTube if you’re outside the US! Can’t recommend it enough.
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u/DiopticTurtle Aug 31 '26
It's really fun to watch unless you're from Boston, in which case it's been love-hate. But I really can't wait to see this league grow, hopefully it blows up like the PWHL
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u/Money-Banana-8674 Aug 31 '26
Everyone should check it out. It's so much fun. Season is almost over already. But there's a home run race with two women from two different teams (actually one from each team in the clip) at 9 home runs in 13 games.
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u/raisinghellwithtrees Aug 31 '26
I'm local to Springfield, where the games are held. I was not previously a baseball fan. But I am now! It's fun to cheer for all of the good plays, regardless of team!
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u/bashful_predator Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
When did this start and where can I watch?
Eta: it started August 1st. Here is the WPBL Schedule . ESPN, ESPN+ and Scripps Sports Network.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
And YouTube for the rest of us
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u/KindergartenCunt Aug 31 '26
I watched a couple games on Hulu the other night.
I didn't even know it was a thing, but my MLB team was tanking so I started browsing. The WPBL game turned out to be a much better game.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
This is the nice thing about liking the sport first and foremost... It's so much easier to have fun and enjoy things
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u/Inevitable_Tomato927 Aug 31 '26
All the games are played in Springfield, IL btw. Went to a game a few weeks ago, was cool!
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u/SanjiSasuke Aug 31 '26
If anyone is outside the US (or has a VPN to say they do) the games are free on YouTube, too!
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u/MarineJAB Aug 31 '26
It’s not just a Walk-Off, it’s a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM.
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u/Hoss-Bonaventure_CEO Aug 31 '26
What's a walk-off?
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u/KitchenPalentologist Aug 31 '26
Bottom of the last inning, so anything that drives in a winning run ends the game.
The runners can walk it in to the plate.
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u/Surveyor7 Aug 31 '26
I was curious: "The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) allows all aluminum bats with no weight, length, or drop restrictions"
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u/NicCage420 Aug 31 '26
The reasoning is straightforward and sound: hitting home runs is fun and cool
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u/Jason-Smith168498 Aug 31 '26
Makes sense, easier to allow that than build different sized stadiums.
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u/Stefn15 Aug 31 '26
Went to a game Friday night. Very cool atmosphere. I hope it can keep going. Unfortunately it’s not returning to Springfield for the next season.
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u/gnordy66 Aug 31 '26
Heard the same. Next year move to home markets, add 2-4 teams and move to independent team ownership. Believe all teams are centrally owned at the moment.
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u/ButcherRose Aug 31 '26
Idc if it’s metal bats - they don’t throw that hard. Hitting it 330+ to dead center for a walk off grand salami tater is AWESOME
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u/ThatDudeThatWrites Aug 31 '26
What channels are carrying these games? I really wanna support this league!
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u/DWilli Aug 31 '26
ESPN Plus only, I believe. Whatever the fuck they call it through their app now
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u/SanjiSasuke Aug 31 '26
In the US, ESPN plus and they do jackshit to market it despite buying the rights mere days before the season started.
Outside the US (or using a VPN) it is free on YouTube.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
full count two outs based loaded bottom of the last inning... That's the stuff dreams are made of
Wpbl has been a really fun watch this month
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u/askmeaboutmyvviener Aug 31 '26
I haven’t even been able to catch a game, which I’m disappointed in… but I love the energy every game seems to have. I love how women support other women man, it’s dope as fuck.
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u/SmokeySFW Aug 31 '26
That's sick. I hope women's baseball takes off, it never really made much sense having them play softball instead.
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u/TheFlamingNumbat Aug 31 '26
Got every bit of that one. You could see that moment of "that's gonna fall short, right?" in the pitcher's eyes. A historic game winner, that's gotta feel amazing.
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u/ms_rdr Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Why did I not know there's a women's pro baseball league? BRB, I've got some Googling to do.
Update: I will be subscribing to ESPN Select by Wednesday to watch the SF v. Boston game. SF Fireballs currently have a better record than the Giants!
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u/TheVoicesOfBrian Aug 31 '26
Maybe I'm a cynical old coot, but women's sports is way more joyous. They genuinely love what their doing. Men's sports feels like a job and they rarely enjoy themselves unless they're winning the championship.
You go, girls.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
My thing about women's sports is the levels they play at are very similar to the level the men were playing at in "the good old days" of most sports ... Makes no sense to me to care that the women aren't as big or fast when their training is based entirely and only on the love of the game
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u/raisinghellwithtrees Aug 31 '26
The atmosphere at the games is amazing! I never knew baseball could be so fun.
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u/TheVoicesOfBrian Aug 31 '26
We just got a women's soccer team here and I've heard nothing but positive things about their games.
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u/independant_786 Aug 31 '26
Whats a walk off?
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u/Antiumbra Aug 31 '26
A walk off is when the home team at the bottom of the inning takes the lead and immediately wins. It can only be the home team since they hit last in an inning.
Since it is the last inning, the other team doesn’t get another chance to hit. So as soon as they take the lead, the game is over and they “walk off” the field.
It can be from a hit, a walk, anything that scores.
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u/junk-wax Aug 31 '26
Fun fact to add, the term was coined by hall of fame reliever Dennis Eckersley, who originally intended it to refer to the pitcher "walking off" the field in shame. Over time it morphed into being the winning team walking off in victory.
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u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner Aug 31 '26
Damn I wish I wouldn’t forget about this in like 10 minutes. This is genuinely a fun fact. I just have the attention span of a fish
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u/a_leash_on_a_sloth Aug 31 '26
It's been about 20 minutes now, just wanted to remind you that Dennis Eckersley coined the phrase and intended it to be a "walk off" of shame for the losing pitcher but over time it morphed into being the winning team walking off in victory.
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u/Ok-Lifeguard-4614 Aug 31 '26
When a team does something that instantly ends the game. This time it was a walk off grand-slam (home run when bases are loaded).
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u/chairmaker45 Aug 31 '26
In baseball the home team bats second each inning. During the last inning, if the game is tied or the away team is leading, the game ends immediately if the home team takes the lead, as there are no more batting opportunities for the away team. In this particular game, the team at bat is down 9 runs to 7. The bases are loaded and she hits a home run, making the score 9 to 11. Because it’s the last inning and they took the lead, they won the game. But it’s not official until she rounds all the bases, so she gets to “walk off” as the victor with the game officially ending when she steps on home plate. It’s a very exciting way for a game to end because it inherently happens in front of home crowds.
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u/mc-edit Aug 31 '26
When the home team is winning by the end of the top of the ninth inning it means the bottom of the ninth is not played and the game is over. But when the home team is losing, the bottom of the ninth must be played until the home team scores enough to win or the visiting team gets three outs while maintaining their lead. Any go-ahead score made by the home team is immediate game over. So the home run triggers the win and everyone walks off the field. Not sure if that is the exact origin of the term “walk off” but that’s what it means.
Edit: Some else mentioned this league only plays to seven innings, so same explanation, but swap in seventh inning for ninth inning.
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u/puffofthezaza Aug 31 '26
Nice. I was always really mad that girls had to play softball and not baseball. I got small hands dammit.
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u/SinamonChallengerRT Aug 31 '26
I like those uniforms too...
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
The wpbl branding and uniforms are phenomenal, eating my heart out as a pwhl fan who hates most of the branding
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u/AreaPlayful142 Aug 31 '26
What's the difference between a home run and a walk off
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
Home run, ball goes over fence
Walk off, you go from losing or tied to winning in the bottom of the last inning of the game
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u/jaspex11 Aug 31 '26
A walk off scores the winning run in the middle of the inning, ending the game right there. Before the 3rd out competes the inning. So the home team 'walks off' with a win before completing the inning.
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u/IwoodMasher Sep 01 '26
Theres......women's pro baseball?
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u/SippyTurtle Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
This is its first season after being founded in 2024.
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u/Humble_Diner32 Aug 31 '26
I may be in the minority here but I’m totally thrilled with women’s professional baseball being a thing. I’ll go as far as to say for every sport that is played professionally there should be a men’s league and a women’s league. Furthermore, until there are enough transgender athletes to form their own leagues they should be permitted to compete in a professional league that best matches their athleticism.
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u/foomits Aug 31 '26
I've never really understood why women play softball and men play baseball? Why dont we just have baseball leagues and softball leagues.
As far as women's sports go, the more the merrier. Dont know how we manage to create controversy out of everything. Bunch of sad people out there trying to make everyone else miserable with them.
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u/anon_capybara_ Aug 31 '26
The Little League got mad that the Supreme Court ruled that they had to let girls play baseball so they created the softball division of LL and funneled girls there instead. Since there are no women’s college baseball teams, or until a month ago, pro women’s baseball teams, there was no higher level for girls to strive for so the women in baseball route dried up in lieu of softball.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
I've heard it basically comes down to the laws governing university sport funding, that having the girls play a similar but technically different sport frees up the men's baseball funding or something? To be clear I first heard this like 20 years ago.
And then because that's where the funding it that's where girls gravitate for school and scholarships creating a cycle basically
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u/Zipps0 Aug 31 '26
There’s a girl that rakes in my men’s league and she’s on the reserve roster for the queens. Everybody is always like “oh a girl got a hit off you” which is so dumb because if they just paid a little attention they would see that she has the best swing in the league. She’s the only pro on the men’s league fields haha
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u/MolaMolaMania Aug 31 '26
I would be totally thrilled with everybody playing in everything. We work together, we live together, so let's complete the trifecta and play together!
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u/Humble_Diner32 Aug 31 '26
I agree. I am impressed by athleticism, in general. The determination and skills to make professional in any sport, regardless of gender or identity, is impressive to me.
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u/CapnDutchie Aug 31 '26
This is great but i have questions. If they spend their whole life playing with a softball and pitching underhand isnt it a huge adjustment to over head throwing a baseball?!?!
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u/anon_capybara_ Aug 31 '26
Many of the women did play softball as well as baseball but few of them specialized in softball only until making the league, so they have experience hitting overhand. The best batters so far have been the ones with lots of baseball playing time in Denae Benites (Banana Ball) and Kelsie Whitmore (multiple pro and semi-pro men’s leagues, Banana Ball). Additionally, the pitching talent seems to lag behind the batting skill, which is fair since there are multiple players literally learning to pitch in this league for the first time and very few players are pitching specialists. The games have been full of offense, which makes them very fun to watch!
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u/NicCage420 Aug 31 '26
A lot of them never stopped playing baseball. A few played in men's pro leagues.
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u/theStrawberryRoam Aug 31 '26
Most if not all of them stuck with baseball in some way over the years. This isn't just a bunch of soft ball players picking up a new sport
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u/rafaelmrdg Aug 31 '26
What is an walk off?
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u/bomilk19 Aug 31 '26
A play at the end of a game that ends it. So if this happened in the top half of the inning, it wouldn’t be considered a “walk-off”, even though the result would be the same.
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u/playr_4 Aug 31 '26
God I love the Firebells jerseys. Such a good moment to see.
I do think that they're doing this first season wrong, having every game in one place instead of going to the hometowns. Womens sports have really been picking up lately and home crowds are a big part of that. Really hope womens baseball can gain the same traction as the PWHL and even the WMBA lately.
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u/JermSwift Aug 31 '26
Pretty dope! I had the opportunity to be part of the inaugural game! Let’s go Heights!!
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u/liquilife Aug 31 '26
Grand Salami!! That was amazing to watch, over and over. And is a bit of a special call if you are an old school Mariners fan.
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u/PierceCountyFirearms Aug 31 '26
Never knew there was a professional women's baseball league. I found their youtube channel and will catch up with the highlights. I don't have ESPN Select or the Scripps Network so I gotta get creative.
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u/Creative-Fruit6919 Sep 01 '26
Women should play baseball. Softball's cool but kind of dumb. My sister played baseball with the boys through 15 yo and then had to play softball after that. She was the only girl playing with the boys for a few years and I was proud of her
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u/Even-Speed-3783 Sep 01 '26
Im from the u.k, could someone please explain what a "walk off' is please
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