Eri Yoshida is an 18-year-old female athlete who was drafted by the Kobe 9 Cruise professional baseball team. Yoshida is a pitcher who features a sidearm knuckleball.

On March 3, 2010, Yoshida made headlines by working out with major leaguer Tim Wakefield at the Boston Red Sox spring training facility. Wakefield was quaoted afterwards as saying, "I'm impressed...she spun a couple, but for the most part it was very good. She was able to take the spin out of a lot of them and they had quite a lot of movement on them."http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/03/red-sox-knuckleballer-tim-wakefield-tutors-japanese-teen/1

The Kobe 9 Cruise play in a newly created independent Japanese baseball league. In November of 2008, Yoshida pitched in a tryout where she held batters hitless in an inning. Yoshida hopes to follow in the footsteps of knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox.International herald tribune: Japanese schoolgirl drafted by pro team (November 17, 2008)

On December 2, 2008, Yoshida signed with the team to become Japan's first female professional baseball player.ESPN.com: Knuckleballer Yoshida, 16, signs with new Japan independent league (December 2, 2008)

On March 27, 2009, Yoshida made her professional debut in the ninth inning of Kobe 9 Cruise season opener in Osaka, a win against the Osaka Gold Villicanes. She walked one batter and struck one batter out before being taken out of the game.MLB.com: Female pitcher makes history in Japan (March 27, 2009)

On February 28, 2010 the Japan Times reported that Yoshida received a contract offer from the California-based Chico Outlaws, a professional team that's part of the Independent Golden Baseball League. If the contract offer is accepted and actualized, Yoshia will be the first professional female athlete playing professional baseball in the United States.http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20100228j1.html

"I always dreamed of becoming a professional. I have only just been picked by the team and haven't achieved anything yet."—Eri Yoshida

Yoshida uses the knuckleball as her primary pitch. Strength and pitch speed are not factors when throwing the knuckleball. It is a softly thrown, deceptive pitch that appears to flutter unpredictably when it crosses the plate, making it difficult to make contact with and even more difficult to center cleanly for a solid hit. Tim Wakefield has been able to build a long career in the majors due to the lack of strain the pitch puts on his arm and body.SI.com: The dying art of the knuckleball