Worth the Wait: Inside the Historic First Game of the Women’s Professional Baseball League

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gray skies hung over Robin Roberts Stadium for most of the afternoon. Steady rain delayed first pitch by more than an hour. It was the kind of weather that usually sends fans back to their cars.

Instead, they waited.

Hours before the gates opened, a line stretched nearly two blocks down the street for the sold-out inaugural game of the Women’s Professional Baseball League. When the gates finally opened, the first fans through the entrance erupted in cheers, celebrating not just admission into a stadium, but the chance to become the first fans ever to walk through the gates of a WPBL game.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - AUG 1: Fans line up before doors open to get into Robin Roberts Field ahead of the inaugural game of the Women's Professional Baseball League in Springfield, IL. (Photo by Jé Tania)

The weather had other plans. The fans didn’t.

Inside the stadium, the excitement never slowed.

The merchandise stand remained one of the busiest places in the ballpark throughout the afternoon. Fans waited more than 30 minutes to buy jerseys representing the league’s four inaugural clubs — the New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, Boston Hunters, and San Francisco Firebells — all named in honor of historic women whose courage, leadership, and influence helped shape their communities. The line rarely dipped below 20 people, and by the end of the night, nearly everything had sold out, leaving behind only a handful of hats and T-shirts.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - AUG 1: (standing left to right) Jeneane DesCombes and Gloria Rodgers escort Maybelle Blair (seated) on th field prior to first pitch at WPBL's first game. (Photo by Jé Tania)

The crowd represented every era of women’s baseball. Some fans arrived wearing Rockford Peaches uniforms. Others sported jerseys from their favorite Major League Baseball teams. By the end of the night, many had changed into the colors of their newly minted favorites, hopefully cementing the same lifelong allegiances to be passed down through future generations of baseball fans. They didn’t just come to witness history. They came ready to become part of it.

The afternoon’s celebration honored the women who built, sustained, and carried women’s baseball across generations.

Girls from Baseball for All, a nonprofit founded by commissioner Justine Siegal in 2010, took the field alongside members of the media and social media creators who have spent years amplifying women’s sports. Living legends Gloria Rodgers and Jeneane DesCombes were introduced.

The media and social media champions then gave way to the captains of all four WPBL teams. Together, they raised a pink torch above the diamond in a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation to the next. For a brief moment, the pioneers who carried the game and the women now entrusted with its future stood together at home plate.

99-year-old Maybelle Blair, famously portrayed by Madonna in A League of Our Own, later threw out the last ceremonial first pitch, then watched another generation of women take the field in a new professional league, one built on the foundation she and so many others helped lay.

Before first pitch, all four teams lined the diamond as the umpiring crew was introduced.

Both umpires were women.

The crowd represented every era of women’s baseball. Some fans arrived wearing Rockford Peaches uniforms. Others sported jerseys from their favorite Major League Baseball teams. By the end of the night, many had changed into the colors of their newly minted favorites, hopefully cementing the same lifelong allegiances to be passed down through future generations of baseball fans. They didn’t just come to witness history. They came ready to become part of it.

The afternoon’s celebration honored the women who built, sustained, and carried women’s baseball across generations.

Girls from Baseball for All, a nonprofit founded by commissioner Justine Siegal in 2010, took the field alongside members of the media and social media creators who have spent years amplifying women’s sports. Living legends Gloria Rodgers and Jeneane DesCombes were introduced.

The media and social media champions then gave way to the captains of all four WPBL teams. Together, they raised a pink torch above the diamond in a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation to the next. For a brief moment, the pioneers who carried the game and the women now entrusted with its future stood together at home plate.

99-year-old Maybelle Blair, famously portrayed by Madonna in A League of Our Own, later threw out the last ceremonial first pitch, then watched another generation of women take the field in a new professional league, one built on the foundation she and so many others helped lay.

Before first pitch, all four teams lined the diamond as the umpiring crew was introduced.

Both umpires were women.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - AUG 1: All four WBPL teams line up, with the game's umpires, as the American Flag unfolds before the National Anthem is sung prior to first pitch. (Photo by Jé Tania)

For the first time in professional baseball history, every person between the chalk was a woman.

New York Heights infielder Denae Benites understood exactly what that moment represented. “We just played in the World Cup, you didn’t see a field full of women. It’s something special, it just creates more opportunities, more visibility for women on the field, no matter at this level or Major League Baseball or wherever it is. I think it was an incredible display of what women can do.”

Then, finally…

It was time to play baseball.

The first batter in Women’s Professional Baseball League history was Mo’ne Davis. She became the league’s first player to reach base and later scored the first run in league history, adding another chapter to a career already defined by historic firsts.

The New York Heights wasted little time making their mark on the league. After taking an early lead, Denae Benites stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning and drove a ball over the center field wall, becoming the first player to hit a home run in Women’s Professional Baseball League history.

Benites finished the night 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Kylee Lahners added two hits, three RBI, and two walks as New York built what looked to be a comfortable 7-2 lead.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - AUG 1: Denae Benites hits the first Home Run in WPBL history with a 330ft shot to center field. (Photo via WPBL)

The Los Angeles Queens had other plans.

Led by Amira Hondras’ four RBIs, Michelle Roche’s two-hit, two-RBI performance, and Maggie Fox’s versatility both at the plate and in the circle, Los Angeles slowly chipped away before erupting for four runs in the seventh inning to complete a 10-8 comeback victory and become the first team to win a game in WPBL history.

The game itself felt fitting.

One team claimed many of the league’s firsts.

The other claimed the league’s first win.

Queens manager Eric "EY" Young said that resilience defined his club from the moment they arrived in Springfield. “They all are willing to go and play at any position. We had Maxi (Thaima Maximiliana) go to left field and she's never played left field. But they’re willing because they want to participate, they want to play, they love the game. And for me as a manager, that makes it easy, they made it look good for our whole team. So, kudos to them. They just deserve all the credit in this. And I was just happy to be next to them to enjoy the moment.”

On the other side, New York manager Rachelle “Rocky” Henley was understandably disappointed to come one out away from making history herself, but never lost sight of the significance of the day. She started by greeting the room with a cheery, “Hi, everybody. Wow, what a game, huh?" She ended on an optimistic note despite the tough loss: “We were just one out away from this win. And I’m so proud of the players to stay with it, and they’re professionals. We’re here because they’re good, and they’re taking wins and losses, and they took the loss pretty hard, but yet, we’re gonna learn from that and move forward.”

The emotions surrounding Opening Day extended far beyond the final score.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - AUG 1: Mo'ne Davis takes 3rd on a passed ball, shortly before scoring the first run via RBI in WPBL history. (Photo via WPBL)

“When I walked on the field, I started crying because of how much this moment meant and how much it meant to everybody, all the young girls, all the older women who are silver bullets, AAGPBL, whatever it is, it means everything to us. And so for that fan engagement, to see people coming out, to see people loving what we love, is just incredible. I can’t wait to see it continue for the rest of the season.”

Benites’ home run will forever occupy its own place in the record books.

Asked what it meant to become the first player to homer in league history with a 330-foot home run to dead center, she reflected on the moment.

“As I was running, I tried to just keep myself calm, and I looked up into the stands just to take in the moment. Nobody can say that they did that except for me, so that’s a pretty cool moment, and something I’ll cherish forever.” 

The Final Cut

The box score will forever remember the Los Angeles Queens as the first winners in WPBL history. It will remember Denae Benites for the league’s first home run. It will remember a comeback worthy of Opening Day. But long after the numbers fade, this game will be remembered for something much bigger.

A sold-out crowd stood in the rain because they believed women’s professional baseball deserved this moment. Three legends watched another generation carry the game forward. Young girls saw a future that suddenly felt possible.

The history, emotion, and excitement of Opening Day all seemed to come together in one moment. Davis smiled as she tried to put it into words.

“We were just talking about this, I don’t know how we’re gonna sleep tonight.”