FORT MYERS, Fla. — Just a few yards from where the Boston Red Sox prepared for a Grapefruit League game during MLB spring training Thursday, other baseball players took the field for a different kind of exhibition: one for a league just taking shape.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League was in Fort Myers for a two-day event hosted by the Red Sox and held a scrimmage Thursday at JetBlue Park, marking its first chance since last summer’s open tryouts to bring players together and continue shaping the WPBL’s on-field product ahead of the start of its inaugural season on Aug. 1.
A handful of players from the league’s four teams — representing the cities of Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco — played a seven-inning game similar to those that will take place during the WPBL’s eight-week season (including two weeks of playoff games) this summer at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
Afterward, the league held a fan festival just before the Red Sox faced the Minnesota Twins, giving a chance for curious baseball fans to get a peek at what the upstart league will offer.
“We’re fairly new (baseball fans),” said Deb Stevens, standing next to her friend Linda Turner as they waited for autographs from WPBL players. “We’re so excited and happy. It takes a long time for them to get to this point. But they’re going to kick butt. That’s what I hope they do.”