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SportsQuiet · 27h

Ayami Sato's shutout lifts LA Queens to first WPBL championship

The Los Angeles Queens beat the San Francisco Firebells in Game 5 as the new women's pro baseball league closes an inaugural season shadowed by a leadership dispute.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago4 pieces347 likes & upvotes9 comments NewswiresBlueskyGoogle News

What to know

  • The Los Angeles Queens won the WPBL's first-ever championship, beating San Francisco 2-0 behind Ayami Sato's complete-game shutout — the first in league history.
  • The debut season sold over 55,000 tickets and generated more than $1.3 million in ticket revenue, all while playing exclusively in Springfield, Illinois.
  • The on-field success is clouded by a legal dispute between top investor Mina Kim and CEO Keith Stein over financial transparency, which commissioner Justine Siegal has stayed out of.

“I don't handle the business side of the league.”

Justine Siegal, WPBL commissioner · Front Office Sports via Yahoo Sports ↗ · Sep 14

Ayami Sato Los Angeles Queens pitcherAshton Lansdell Los Angeles Queens captainKeith Stein WPBL co-founder and CEOMina Kim WPBL board member and largest investorJustine Siegal WPBL commissionerMo'ne DavisMo'ne Davis Los Angeles Queens player

Ayami Sato's shutout lifts LA Queens to first WPBL championship
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in one half hour at Sep 22, 8 PM; 4 pieces over 29 hours (3 articles · 1 post) Sep 22, 7:59 PM — quietSep 22, 8:29 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 22, 8:59 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Google News 2, Newswires 1Sep 22, 9:29 PM — quietSep 22, 9:59 PM — quietSep 22, 10:29 PM — quietSep 22, 10:59 PM — quietSep 22, 11:29 PM — quietSep 22, 11:59 PM — quietYesterday, 12:29 AM — quietYesterday, 12:59 AM — quietYesterday, 1:29 AM — quietYesterday, 1:59 AM — quietYesterday, 2:29 AM — quietYesterday, 2:59 AM — quietYesterday, 3:29 AM — quietYesterday, 3:59 AM — quietYesterday, 4:29 AM — quietYesterday, 4:59 AM — quietYesterday, 5:29 AM — quietYesterday, 5:59 AM — quietYesterday, 6:29 AM — quietYesterday, 6:59 AM — quietYesterday, 7:29 AM — quietYesterday, 7:59 AM — quietYesterday, 8:29 AM — quietYesterday, 8:59 AM — quietYesterday, 9:29 AM — quietYesterday, 9:59 AM — quietYesterday, 10:29 AM — quietYesterday, 10:59 AM — quietYesterday, 11:29 AM — quietYesterday, 11:59 AM — quietYesterday, 12:29 PM — quietYesterday, 12:59 PM — quietYesterday, 1:29 PM — quietYesterday, 1:59 PM — quietYesterday, 2:29 PM — quietYesterday, 2:59 PM — quietYesterday, 3:29 PM — quietYesterday, 3:59 PM — quietYesterday, 4:29 PM — quietYesterday, 4:59 PM — quietYesterday, 5:29 PM — quietYesterday, 5:59 PM — quietYesterday, 6:29 PM — quietYesterday, 6:59 PM — quietYesterday, 7:29 PM — quietYesterday, 7:59 PM — quietYesterday, 8:29 PM — quietYesterday, 8:59 PM — quietYesterday, 9:29 PM — quietYesterday, 9:59 PM — quietYesterday, 10:29 PM — quietYesterday, 10:59 PM — quietYesterday, 11:29 PM — quietYesterday, 11:59 PM — quietToday, 12:29 AM — quiet 1
yesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 12:59 AM ET
  1. 1

    Fans celebrate Queens' title and Sato's historic shutout online

    Social media posts marked the Queens' championship win and highlighted Sato's shutout as the first complete-game shutout in WPBL history.

    “Congratulations to the Los Angeles Queens. Your inaugural WPBL Champions! Ayami Sato throws the first complete game (and shutout) in WPBL history.”
    — @crumblsucks.wyattswickedgoods.com
    1. 2 outlets Superstar Ayami Sato sends Queens to inaugural WPBL title

      first by MLB.com, 1d ago · also Yahoo Sports

      1 more headline
    • crumblsucks.wyattswickedgoods.com

      Congratulations to the Los Angeles Queens. Your inaugural WPBL Champions! Ayami Sato throws the first complete game (and shutout) in WPBL history.

      crumblsucks.wyattswickedgoods.comBluesky1d ago347▲view on Bluesky ↗
  2. background

    Ayami Sato throws WPBL's first shutout to clinch title — Sato pitched a complete game (7 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout) as the Queens beat the Firebells 2-0 at Robin Roberts Stadium, winning the league's inaugural championship on two hits and a third-inning rally.

  3. background

    Queens take early series lead, Firebells even it up — Los Angeles jumped ahead 2-0 in the best-of-five championship series before San Francisco won back-to-back blowouts to force a decisive Game 5.

  4. background

    Investor Mina Kim's legal dispute with CEO Stein surfaces — Front Office Sports reported that board member and top investor Mina Kim has taken legal action demanding financial transparency from Stein, who denies wrongdoing and calls her a "disgruntled investor"; commissioner Justine Siegal said she stays out of the business side.

  5. background

    League reveals season attendance and revenue figures — WPBL co-founder and CEO Keith Stein told Front Office Sports the league sold more than 55,000 tickets and made over $1.3 million in ticket revenue in its debut season, played entirely in Springfield, Illinois.

  6. background

    Boston Hunters set prior season-low scoring mark — A 6-1 Boston Hunters win had stood as the league's lowest-scoring game before the championship finale topped it.