Kaneko: Catching up with Ila Borders, women’s baseball pioneer
From Gemma Kaneko at MLB’s Cut4 on March 30, 2017:
In this week’s edition, Gemma Kaneko talks with Ila Borders, whose memoir, “Making My Pitch,” was released earlier this year. In 1994, Borders became the first woman to win an NAIA or NCAA men’s baseball game, and in 1998, she became the first woman to get a win in a men’s professional baseball game.
Gemma Kaneko: What was the most difficult at-bat that you can remember? Who was the toughest batter to face?
Ila Borders: Oh, gosh. I would say, if I had a — I’d say J.D. Drew. He was on my team for a little bit, the Saints, and then I faced him. The toughest [thing] to me — I think if you ask any pitcher — is getting that third strike. I mean, you can get two strikes, but you’re throwing everything at them, and they’re fouling it off, fouling it off, fouling it off. Like, “Oh my gosh. Whatever I give them, they’re just fouling it off.” And finally, not that you have to give in, they’re just waiting for a mistake. And your good pitches, they foul off. He was very difficult to pitch to, and I found him to be the toughest person that I faced.
Read the full article here: http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/03/30/221542352
Originally published: March 31, 2017. Last Updated: March 31, 2017.