Japanese, Female, Sidearming Knuckleballer. Yup.

When most of us think about aspiring Japanese baseball players modeling their game after American diamond “heroes,” we might not immediately imagine a 5’1, 18 year-old female pitcher. Even then, our idol radar likely doesn’t point to 43-year old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Well, meet Eri Yoshida. She messes with any preconceived notions you may have previously harbored.

The teenage Japanese player signed as the first woman to play in the men’s professional baseball league in Japan, and, now, she’s heading stateside. Check out the video below. Yesterday, Yoshida got to meet her idol Wakefield face-to-face — and trade knuckleballing secrets. She’s already logged four shutout innings in her debut for the Yuma Scorpions. Good stuff.