The New York Yankees have utilized several ball boys since the illustrious baseball franchise was founded in 1903. But on Saturday at the first ever Major League Baseball game in Europe, Swarthmore College softball's
Laura Hirai worked as the first ever ball girl for the Yankees.
This was brought to the public eye when Seton Hall University head softball coach Paige Smith
posted a video on Twitter from her view in the stands with a caption that asked, "Has anyone noticed that the Yankees ball girl has an absolute cannon?"
"It was crazy," Hirai said. "I was hanging out with the players like a teammate while fans were on the other side of the netting where I'd usually be."
Hirai, a freshman second baseman for the Garnet this past year, is a native of London and competes within the Great Britain baseball and softball organizations. She received an email months ago from British Softball Federation president Jerry Fromer that explained she had been anonymously nominated by one of her managers to work in a clubhouse during the inaugural MLB London Series that featured two games at London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
The MLB's head clubhouse manager assessed every nominee on paper and chose 12 individuals (11 young men and Hirai) to work in the two clubhouses. Hirai chose the Yankees because she was more familiar with the players.
"First player that came through the door was C.C. Sabathia," Hirai said. "He was so kind and approachable. He set the tone for the rest of the players like Aaron Judge. They were all big, tall and real. I tried to keep the 'fan-girling' to a minimum as this was my job."
From Monday to Thursday, Hirai's crew prepared the clubhouses and dugouts for the team's arrival. And from Friday to Sunday, Hirai did things such as unpack stuff for the players, clean their shoes, sort their lockers, drive them places, give them directions, buy them food, etc. During the games, Hirai sat just beyond third base in foul territory to protect fans from baseballs and warm up Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner.
"I was so lucky to watch the games up close," she said. "I was able to watch the players make plays and study their mechanics."
Hirai also met Yankees legends Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson, Andy Pettitte, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and more. She also mentioned that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stopped by to say hello.
"Reggie Jackson congratulating me on being the first ball girl was a big highlight," Hirai said. "We were all tight by the first evening. We played soccer in the clubhouse and ate together. They went from celebrities to people I could call friends."
Hirai explained that it was somewhat of a last-minute decision to make her a ball girl. That said, she borrowed a spare Yankees jersey and Gardner's extra pair of pants because he's one of the smaller players at 5 feet 11 inches. However, Hirai is only 5 feet 1 inch tall so she described her uniform as "huge".
"Lucky for us," Hirai said, "the Yankees won both games so the energy in the clubhouse was buzzing."
The Yankees won Saturday's game 17-13 and Sunday's 12-8 in front of a combined total of nearly 120,000 fans.
"I truly appreciate the Yankees and how they treated me, a woman, as their equal," Hirai said. "I left the London Series with tangible and intangible memories that I will cherish forever. This experience has opened many doors for me, and I hope it has opened more doors for women that want to work in a male-dominated job/community."
Hirai will return to Swarthmore in the fall for her sophomore year of college. And in the spring she'll lace up her cleats for a Garnet softball team coming off of a 22-win season, its highest win total since 2010.
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