NYC and NJ players celebrate the beginning of the Women's Pro Baseball League

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For the first time since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1954, women will play professional baseball in the U.S as part of a new Women's Pro Baseball League.

For its first year, the Women’s Pro Baseball League will consist of four teams — The New York Heights, the Boston Hunters, The Los Angeles Queens and the San Francisco Firebells. The 19 regular-season and playoffs games for each club will be held at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois and will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on Scripps Sports Network.

To mark opening weekend, WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill sat with local players Sabrina Robinson and Nylah Ramirez.

Robinson, who’s from Morristown, New Jersey, will play the infield for the Boston Hunters this season. Nylah Ramirez, who’s from Brooklyn, was drafted to Boston as a right-handed pitcher and is a reserve pitcher for the league. They discussed playing in co-ed little league teams as girls, being a New Yorker in a Boston uniform, and the upcoming season.

The WPBL season opener is Aug. 1 with a game between the New York Heights and the Los Angeles Queens. Boston will verse the San Francisco Firebells on Aug. 2. The season runs through the playoffs in mid-September.

Sabrina Robinson: I started playing baseball with my brother at age 5. He was about 7. I always joke that my parents just didn't wanna bring us to two separate practices. But my dad's main reason to not switch me to softball was that if my brother, who I grew up playing with and had no problem keeping up with, wasn't switching, why do I have to switch [to softball]?

So I just kept that mentality with me every time boys would make comments and be like, "Oh, it's a girl," I would just have to prove that I could keep up. But a lot of the time I was a lot taller and bigger than boys, so I usually didn't have too much trouble.

Nylah Ramirez: Similar to Sabrina, I started playing when I was young, and my family just wanted me to be happy. I grew up with cousins playing baseball. My two uncles were my coaches when I was a kid, and I just kind of kept going with it. I fell in love with it, and I didn’t want to put the ball down, I didn't wanna switch over. With the national team, that was, at that time, the highest level for baseball in women's sports. So, I went down that route. I put a couple years down with that team, and we’re here now.

Robinson : Honestly, I didn't expect it to happen in my lifetime, let alone when I would still be in playing shape. So I'm just extremely grateful. I heard about it first on “SNL,” so I kinda thought it was a joke, but I'm really glad it wasn't.

Robinson : A lot of us grew up having to fight to play in the sport and prove we belong. So there's just this level of fight that you won't see in men's baseball. Also, the women's baseball community, we all kind of know each other so there's a lot of friendship and a lot of camaraderie. But we're very good competitors. It'll be really good baseball to watch.

Ramirez : I’m looking forward to winning. Bringing home the championship.

Robinson : A ring for Boston, like Nyla said. I also love meeting the fans and little girls that bring their baseball gloves and that are so happy that they have a path past age 18, because that's when I thought I was gonna be done. But also, it's really healing to see the little boys come out and see them supporting their sisters.

Ramirez : I'm a New Yorker, born and raised here my entire life and still here. So I get people being like, "It's gonna be rough.” But at the end of the day, with true love and true support behind you, fans will follow you anywhere.

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