Kelsie Whitmore is no stranger to history. Before becoming the No. 1 overall pick ahead of the inaugural Women's Professional Baseball League, which began earlier this month, she was one of the first women to play pro baseball since the 1950s for the Sonoma Stompers. She became the first woman to play in the Atlantic League -- an MLB Partner League -- when she suited up for the Staten Island FerryHawks.
On Thursday, Whitmore made some more history: She blasted three home runs against the Los Angeles Queens in San Francisco's 8-2 victory, becoming the first player to have a three-homer game in the new league.
"Honestly, I wasn't trying to force it, I was just trying to focus on putting a good swing on a good pitch and let the game play out," Whitmore told MLB.com in a message. "Any time you hit a homer there's no doubt it's going to feel great, but hitting three in one game in this league is definitely something I will remember forever."
She smashed two against starter Ayami Sato -- one of the best women's pitchers in the world -- before finishing her day with a blast against her U.S. national teammate Meggie Meidlinger.
"Sato and Meggie are some of our top pitchers in this league, so my focus was staying really locked in. I know they are going to compete with their best stuff against me and it's always going to be a competitive at-bat," Whitmore added. "That's the best part about this league. We are all great friends, but also have such healthy and strong competitiveness when playing against each other."
While the offensive outburst put Whitmore second in the league in home runs and RBIs, she still trails New York's Denae Benites, who has started the season on fire. Benites has five home runs and 15 RBIs through her first four games of action. The two sluggers -- and national teammates -- will get to face off on Saturday, when New York takes on San Francisco.