ATCRCS: First Pitch Friday - Jennie Finch

Because of the recent box breaks and trades, its been a while since I featured one of my ATCRCS cards. And its been three weeks since I did a First Pitch Friday write up. With most of my packages from those out in the mail and no big card releases on the horizon (not interested in A&G beyond the Cubs cards) and a need to save money for the National, I'm glad to be back on track. I've also temporarily disabled my Trade List page because I threw in some extras into my packages to make up for my tardiness. As I continue the organization process, I'll continue to add more items. On to First Pitch Friday.


I'll admit I don't know much about softball. I think, for the most part, the rules are similar to baseball. I've seen a few games, usually during the Olympics or College World Series, though nothing in person. When I was looking for photos to use for my First Pitch cards, I was a little surprised when I found the one of Jennie Finch. She was wearing a Chicago jersey but it was orange. I had no idea there was a professional softball league.

I assumed most baseball stats would translate over to softball. Wins, ERA, etc. Either I'm wrong or Jennie Finch is some kind of softball goddess! A record of 119-16 in college with a 1.07 ERA? What? As a member of the US National Team, she was 36-2 with a 0.42 ERA. Crazy! No wonder it's not an Olympic sport anymore, they had to stop her somehow.

In 2005, Jennie Finch was fresh off a gold medal from the 2004 Olympics in Athens as a member of the USA National Women's Softball team and a pitcher for the brand new Chicago Bandits. What better way to promote the new local team than to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before an interleague cross-town rivalry game between the Cubs and White Sox? Good demographic to target. I couldn't find any video of the first pitch but I'm glad I found a photo.