Japanese pitcher plays on her own 'Field of Dreams'

OYAMA, Japan — Eri Yoshida sat in the dugout of an all-dirt baseball field in rural Japan, surrounded by rice paddies, narrow roads, and traditional Japanese houses.

The scene recalled instantly the 1989 Hollywood movie Field of Dreams — Asian style — and Yoshida certainly has her own.

The 31-year-old Japanese woman is a knuckleball pitcher with a sidearm delivery that she hopes might carry her to the big leagues in the United States or Japan.