A change of the lineup: How the new women’s pro baseball league works

It’s been decades since the last women’s professional baseball league rounded the bases. This weekend, four teams representing Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles will launch the inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) in Springfield, Illinois. The season opens Aug. 1 with a 30-game livestreamed schedule running through mid-September, followed by a two-week playoff.The WPBL was co-founded by Justine Siegal along with Keith Stein, a lawyer and sports investor. Ms. Siegal made history in 2015 as the first woman to coach for a Major League Baseball organization with the Oakland Athletics. She serves as the league’s first commissioner, managing its baseball operations and overseeing player relations.“We’re happy the girls are finally getting another league of their own,” said Dolly Vanderlip “Lippy” Ozburn, at an event in Springfield honoring the history of women’s baseball before the WPBL launch. She pitched for two years in the 1950s under legendary manager Jimmie Foxx as part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that inspired the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” “We had our own, and we’re happy they’re getting their own, too.” Why We Wrote This With the launch of the Women’s Professional Baseball League, female athletes can play pro ball in the U.S. for the first time since 1954. The inaugural season brings four teams to TV screens and includes players from 10 countries. How is the league structured?More than 600 players from 10 countries tried out for one of 120 spots in the WPBL draft at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., in August 2025. In the six-round draft, players from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Curaçao, Australia, France, and England were drafted, with ages ranging from 18 to 37. Each of the league’s four teams selected 30 players.All games in this inaugural season will be held at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, which seats 5,200. The WPBL will also launch a developmental league in 2027, to be based in Springfield, a historic home for women’s baseball. Kendra Nordin Beato/The Christian Science Monitor Dolly Vanderlip “Lippy” Ozburn (left) and Jeneane Lesko sign autographs before a panel discussion about the history of women’s professional baseball at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, July 28, 2026. They played in the final years of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that inspired the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” What are the teams?Currently, all four teams are owned and operated by the WPBL, and three are managed by former MLB players. The team names and logos were inspired by women trailblazers:New York Heights, managed by Rachelle “Rocky” Henley, is named for Dorothy Irene Height, a pioneering civil rights and women’s rights leader from New York.San Francisco Firebells, managed by Matt Williams, is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, known as “Firebelle,” a patron of the San Francisco volunteer firefighters.Los Angeles Queens, managed by Eric Young Sr., is named for Lizzie Murphy, a baseball pioneer who played professionally with men and was known as the “Queen of the Diamond.”Boston Hunters, managed by Keith Foulke, is named for Harriot K. Hunt, a pioneering Boston physician and women’s rights activist.Are there any rule differences between men’s and women’s professional baseball?Most of the rules will be the same as those in MLB and women’s international baseball. There will be 90-foot base paths, and the pitching distance (60 feet, 6 inches) will be the same. The WPBL teams, however, will play seven-inning games, twice a week, Wednesday through Sunday, with 15-player rosters and aluminum bats. There will be some pitchers who also play field positions.In an Instagram reel, Amanda Gianelloni of the San Francisco Firebells says there is a reason for the differences: “In sports, there’s not one universal blueprint. Different athletes create different games, and over time those games develop the standards that best fit the people playing.” Kendra Nordin Beato/The Christian Science Monitor Historian Anna Sielaff (from left) moderated a panel discussion on the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with women’s baseball historian Merrie Fidler, and former players Jeneane Lesko and Dolly Vanderlip “Lippy” Ozburn at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, July 28, 2026. Why Springfield?In 1875, Springfield was the site of the first game in which two women’s teams, the Blondes and Brunettes, were paid to play baseball.“They were paid actresses,” says Anna Sielaff, a local historian and curator of an exhibit on women’s baseball and softball at the Sangamon County Building in Springfield. “It was like burlesque baseball. ... They played in St. Louis for one of their games, and the police were actually called. They came ‘this close’ to being arrested.”Beyond that slapstick start, there is a rich history of women’s baseball in Illinois. Chicago Cubs owner Philip Wrigley established the All-American Girls Baseball League in 1943, which lasted until 1954. At its height, it had 14 franchises, four of them in Illinois, contracting hundreds of young women athletes across Midwestern cities.In Springfield, James Fitzpatrick, a lumber company owner and sports entrepreneur, recognized an opportunity. He built a stadium and won a franchise, naming it the Springfield Sallies.“Sadly, they only played six weeks here,” says Ms. Sielaff. “They had over 3,000 fans at their opening game against Fort Wayne, and then attendance just wasn’t there.”Who are some of the standout players to watch?Even for those who don’t follow women’s baseball, there will be some familiar names. Mo’ne Davis, the first girl to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history in 2014, will be playing center field for Los Angeles. She will be joined by Japanese legend Ayami Sato, considered the greatest women’s baseball player in the world, with nearly 80 mph pitches and a curveball that spins faster than most MLB pitchers.No. 1 draft pick Kelsie Whitmore will play for San Francisco. Ms. Whitmore made baseball history by becoming the first woman to start and pitch in the MLB partner Atlantic League in 2022 and in the Pioneer League in 2024.Where can I watch WPBL games?ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+) will stream regular and postseason games. The league also runs its own YouTube channel with additional content.