A look back at a history making day.
In this week’s episode of The Journey of My Mother’s Son, I talked to Stacy Piagno and Isaac Wenrich who made history on July 15, 2017 when Piagno recorded a win against the Pittsburg Diamonds in her first start of the 2017 season. In doing so, she became only the third woman since the 1950s to win a game in an American men’s professional baseball league. Wenrich, who is a former player of mine from my Berkshire Baseball days, was her catcher that day.
The two share memories of that day and the season in general. Stacy talks about how important it was for the men in the Sonoma clubhouse to simply accept her and her female teammate, Kelsie Whitmore as nothing more than teammates and fellow ballplayers.
It was great to see the conversation between Stacy and Isaac and the connection that they still share as battery mates. Something that only pitchers and catchers may understand. Years after their playing days together, they still have a huge amount of admiration and respect for each other. Stacy, who is now in Florida and Isaac who is in Arizona pick up the conversation as if it was just yesterday.
Stacy is no stranger to making history as she also threw the first no-hitter in women’s international baseball competition in Toronto on July 23, 2015 as the US Women’s National team defeated Puerto Rico at the Pan Am Games.
Isaac talks about how having the women on the team pushed him to push himself and work even harder to improve his own skills. As one of his former coaches, it makes me proud to know that he treats all of his teammates with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender or race. Isaac, who survived a widow maker heart attack in 2016 understands that he’s been given a second chance and plans to make the best of it.
Both video and audio versions of the podcast are available below:
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