Ayami Sato will make baseball history in Toronto — and blaze a trail for women in sports

Meagan Fitzpatrick · CBC News

· Posted: May 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

When Ayami Sato takes to the mound astatine Toronto's Christie Pits parkland connected Sunday, her archetypal transportation volition marque history.

Sato, 35, has travel each the mode from Japan to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, 1 of 9 teams successful the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) of confederate Ontario. She'll beryllium the archetypal pistillate to articulation a nonrecreational men's league successful Canada. 

The IBL is much than 100 years aged and immoderate of its players spent clip connected Major League Baseball teams oregon successful different elite leagues.

Sato is already considered a fable successful women's planetary baseball. As portion of Japan's nationalist team, she helped her state triumph satellite championships and took location 3 MVP awards on the way.

WATCH | Ayami Sato volition interruption sex obstruction successful Canadian shot with Toronto Maple Leafs: 

She told CBC News successful a caller interrogation astatine the shot diamond that she's honoured to beryllium a Maple Leaf and to interruption the sex obstruction successful Canadian baseball. 

"I americium truthful happy, precise excited," Sato said successful English, with overmuch of the remainder of the interrogation conducted via a translator. 

Maple Leafs manager and erstwhile Toronto Blue Jay Rob Butler says Sato is considered the champion pitcher ever successful women's baseball, and the squad is blessed to springiness her the accidental to showcase her skills.

"We're excited to spot thing new, thing different, thing fresh," helium said. "We privation to break immoderate barriers down and springiness her a large opportunity." 

Sato 'in a league of her own'

Ashley Stephenson, who played against Sato arsenic a subordinate of the Canadian nationalist team, predicts she'll easy gain the respect of fans successful Canada. 

"She's an outstanding pitcher, the champion pitcher I ever faced successful planetary competition," Stephenson said successful a video telephone from Florida wherever she coaches with 1 of the Blue Jays' insignificant league teams. 

"She was successful a league of her own." 

But Stephenson, who's a subordinate of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, says she's besides bittersweet that there's nary nonrecreational women's shot league successful Canada for players astatine Sato's level, particularly considering the caller occurrence of women's nonrecreational leagues successful soccer, hockey and basketball.

"Part of maine wishes we had that for baseball, too," she said.  

A caller shot ecosystem for women

Keith Stein, a Toronto businessman who is 1 of the Maple Leafs owners, is moving connected granting Stephenson's wish. 

He's presently gathering the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) with American shot trailblazer Justine Siegal.

Stein told CBC News that it's a "travesty" that there's nary pro league for women. For a agelong time, helium says, girls were pushed to play softball alternatively of hardball, thing helium hopes the WPBL volition assistance to change. 

"We deliberation the WPBL is going to beryllium the catalyst for the instauration of a full caller shot ecosystem and civilization for women, not lone successful the United States but passim the world," helium said. 

So far, much than 50 Canadian women person applied to effort retired for the league, which volition commencement with six U.S. teams successful 2026, though Stein hopes to yet grow it northbound successful aboriginal seasons.  

"There volition beryllium a franchise successful Toronto," helium declared. 

World-Series winning Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is an advisor to the league, and truthful is Sato. Stein hopes she'll beryllium a player, too.  

For now, the Japanese pitcher, who knows small astir Canada different than that it's acold and hockey is much fashionable than baseball, is gearing up for her archetypal crippled with her teammates. 

"They've been truly large and I'm looking guardant to playing with them," Sato said. At a caller practice, the players were giving her encouraging words, precocious fives and fist bumps. 

'Blaze a way for us' 

It's not mislaid connected Sato that she's making history. She hopes playing successful a men's pro league demonstrates courageousness to young girls and that they'll travel her illustration of accepting caller challenges.   

"I anticipation that volition animate a batch of small girls here," she said. 

Mission already accomplished, according to the young players taking portion successful a Canadian Girls Baseball League signifier astatine a parkland not excessively acold from wherever the Maple Leafs play.  

"I've heard that she's a legend," said Quinsey Jenkins, 12. "I'm excited that a miss is going to beryllium pitching amongst boys — and hopefully she tin bushed them."

Her connection to Sato: "Go retired and marque each the different girls similar maine proud, and blaze a way for america truthful we tin follow."

Danielle Waserman thinks it's unfair there's nary pro league for Sato and different women successful Canada. "It's precise beardown of her to play successful a men's league and I truly look up to her," said the 10-year-old player.

Sophia Bonder, whose azygous t-shirt reads "I'm Changing the Game," is anxiously awaiting a women's league she tin ticker connected TV. 

For now, the 13-year-old is blessed Sato is playing successful her metropolis wherever she tin spell cheer connected a superstar. 

"I'm gladsome she's getting a accidental to amusement her talents to everyone else," said Bonder. "And I'm proud."