The Women’s Professional Baseball League kicked off its inaugural regular season this past weekend.

There are four Women’s Professional Baseball League organizations: Boston Hunters, Los Angeles Queens, New York Heights, and San Francisco Firebells.

Across the league’s four teams, there are 65 players. Thirty-three were born in the United States.

In addition, there are 11 players from Canada, five players from Mexico, four players from Australia, and infielder Thaima Maximiliana, the No. 1 pick in the WPBL draft, is from Curacao.

In total, 11 countries and territories are represented in the league.

Japanese right-hander Ayami Sato is considered the top female pitcher in the world and is the ace of the Queens’ pitching staff. She became the first woman to play in the Canadian Baseball League in 2025, suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Recently, Sato spoke with Capitol City Now’s Jay Cohen about what this Women’s Professional Baseball League opportunity means for Japanese women in baseball.

“It’s incredible and meaningful that Japanese players now have the opportunity to play in this league, too,” Sato told Cohen through a translator. “I’m sure there are many talented players in Japan who have dreams of playing here, but until now not many have been able to take the first step because Japan is such a small island and there are so many obstacles, like (the) language barrier, or they’re just afraid of (leaving) the country.”

Sato has won six gold medals with Japan’s national baseball team and will turn 37 in December. She allowed four earned runs and 10 hits in the Queens’ 10-8 victory over the weekend against the Heights.

All games for the Women’s Professional Baseball League regular season are played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. Each of the four clubs will play 15 games.

Starting Sept. 9, the semifinals of the postseason will feature a three-game series. The championship round will be best three out of five.

Photo: Los Angeles Queens’ Ayami Sato pitches during the fourth inning of the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League game against the New York Heights, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Lexie Knight)