Elephant Rumblings: Kelsie Whitmore breaks further ground Pitching in MLB partnered Atlantic League

Happy Thursday, Athletics Nation!

While the A’s haven’t been making much history by getting swept for an entire homestand, across the country there have been some barriers broken this season. Playing for the Staten Island FerryHawks, Kelsie Whitmore has been making a push for the presence of women in professional baseball.

In 2016 Whitmore, along with Stacy Piagno and Ann Kimbrell, signed with the Sonoma Stompers, then of the independent Pacific Association. They were the first women to play for a professional team since 1950, and formed the first female battery since the 50s as well. Last year, Whitmore joined the Portland Pickles of the collegiate-level West Coast League for a set of games in Mexico. Whitmore also has years of experience on the US women’s national baseball team, and has blown the lid off of D1 college softball for Cal State Fullerton.

This year Whitmore signed with the FerryHawks, who reside in the independent Atlantic League, which has a partnership with MLB despite not being directly affiliated with any major league clubs. That makes her the first woman to play for any MLB-associated team, and on top of it all, she’s a two-way player.

Kelsie debuted for Staten Island on April 22 as a pinch-runner, then made her first start for the club on Sunday in left field. Last night she made further history by taking the mound in the top of the 9th. After the FerryHawks pitchers loaded the bases giving up three walks and a run-scoring single, Whitmore was tapped to cut off the momentum. Kelsie got the last out on four pitches to end the inning, on a flyout by former MLB player Ryan Jackson.

We can hope to see lots more on the diamond from Whitmore throughout the season, and hopefully a future in affiliated ball soon. Kelsie is leading the way for more women to join pro baseball in the coming years, and it’s fantastic to see!

A’s Coverage

• Ashford: Game. #25: A’s waste stellar start, lose to Rays 3-0
• Shea: A’s Frankie Montas’ 7 scoreless innings wasted in 3-0 loss to Rays ($)
• Kawahara: A’s starter Cole Irvin being evaluated for shoulder soreness ($)
• Gallegos: A’s still seeking balance of bats and bullpen
• He: Kotsay on A’s winless homestand: It’s not for lack of effort’
• Ostler: Feral and loathing at the Coliseum: Why some A’s fans still show up ($)
• McDonald: Athletics Outright Austin Allen

MLB News & Interest

• AP: Staten Island FerryHawks two-way player Kelsie Whitmore becomes first woman to pitch in Atlantic League
• Randhawa: Kelsie Whitmore makes history pitching for FerryHawks
• Megdal: How Kelsie Whitmore Became the Face of Women’s Baseball Progress
• Kaplan: ‘It’s not going to be cheap’: Sinclair’s streaming rate latest example of sports viewing’s rising cost ($)
• Laurila: Bob Melvin Talks Curveballs, Both Past and Present
• ESPN: What the heck is going on with the baseball? Everything you need to know about MLB’s scoring drought
• Shusterman: Yankees’ King, Cubs’ Robertson Among Relievers To Watch So Far In 2022
• Passan: Madison Bumgarner ejected from Arizona Diamondbacks-Miami Marlins game after awkward exchange with umpire
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter

Chafin is still out there chafin’ it

Frankie Fastball at it again

Casey has a thread of highlights from yesterday’s Bay Area Council call about the Howard Terminal ballpark

Puk has been working on his gains

Witness the unbeatable record of Connie Mack

Balk talk from Dallas and Glen

How can you not be romantic about baseball?