Women's baseball 'legend' Ayami Sato ready to leave a mark in Canadian men's pro league

CBC Sports

· Posted: May 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

When Ayami Sato opens a 42-game regular play with the Toronto Maple Leafs connected Sunday, the Japanese pitcher volition beryllium the archetypal pistillate to play for a Canadian nonrecreational men's shot team.

She volition instrumentality the mound soon aft 2 p.m. ET successful an expected commencement against the visiting Kitchener Panthers, throwing a fastball astir 80 miles per hr and a curveball reportedly with a higher rotation complaint than astir large leaguers — resulting in much swing-and-miss against hitters.

For those doubting Sato's quality to win successful the nine-team Intercounty Baseball League based successful confederate Ontario, the Japanese fable is inviting radical successful and astir Toronto to travel ticker her debut astatine Dominico Field successful Christie Pits.

While the curveball isn't her favourite offering, the foot-five right-hander revealed this week during a sojourn to CBC Sports office successful Toronto, she enjoys watching opposing hitters conflict to marque contact.

WATCH | Japanese women's prima Sato brings wealthiness of acquisition to IBL's Maple Leafs:

"I conscionable kept [throwing] it and got amended and amended by playing," Sato told Anastasia Bucsis done interpreter Yoko van Veen. "Everybody tells maine bully things astir my curveball."

Sato, 35, said she has been affectional "every day" since her caller accomplishment successful Toronto and is excited to assistance the eight-time champion Maple Leafs, who were seventh past play with a 17-25 grounds earlier being swept successful 3 games by the Barrie Baycats in a best-of-five first-round playoff series.

"Last twelvemonth I got a [contract] connection and knew I was wanted and needed here," Sato said. "I [want to have] a large play and, astir importantly, I volition bask the games. I privation to lend to the team."

The Maple Leafs made Sato the IBL's archetypal pistillate subordinate past December. Team proprietor and Toronto nonmigratory Keith Stein, a lawyer and entrepreneur, was debating hiring a pistillate successful absorption oregon coaching but was swayed to motion a subordinate by Leafs enforcement Andreas Kloppenborg.

"I'm ever trying to fig retired ways to make greater instrumentality engagement and involvement successful our team," Stein told the Toronto Star successful February.

WATCH | Maple Leafs 'breaking barriers' and hoping Sato is simply a prima attraction:

'I'm excited to ticker a legend'

Sato, wide considered the champion pistillate shot subordinate successful the world, helped Japan to six consecutive Women's Baseball World Cup titles betwixt 2010 and 2024. She was named tourney MVP successful 2014, 2016 and 2018.

In her lone World Cup commencement past August, she didn't let an earned tally and struck retired 5 portion limiting the United States to 4 hits and didn't locomotion a batter successful a 4-3 loss. Sato has lone walked 7 successful 11 World Cup starts covering 70 2/3 innings.

"I'm excited to ticker a fable transportation for the Leafs," squad manager and erstwhile Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Rob Butler told the Star earlier this year. "We are precise fortunate to person Sato connected our team."

The Maple Leafs took an involvement successful Sato aft she was featured past twelvemonth passim the Amazon Prime documentary See Her, Be Her that shares the communicative of Sato and six women warring for sex equality successful sports.

She played hoops during mediate schoolhouse since determination were nary shot teams for girls but a passionateness for the second remained. Fortunately, the boys' manager allowed her to articulation his team. Sato played connected women's teams done precocious schoolhouse and astatine Shobi University successful Kawagoe, Japan, but ne'er imagined it would pb to a accidental astatine the nonrecreational level successful Canada.

"I don't spot myself being a relation model," said Sato, who grew up successful Anami, Kagoshima, a tiny land successful confederate Japan. "I'm conscionable doing what I person to bash but I truly admit this opportunity. I americium truthful happy. I'd similar to bask this moment, and I person to bask this moment."

Sato is simply a peculiar advisor with the Women's Professional Baseball League, a six-team loop set to motorboat adjacent year. Stein co-founded the WPBL with Justine Siegal, the archetypal pistillate to manager for an MLB squad with the-then Oakland Athletics successful 2015.

"If I person the accidental to play successful the league successful the future, I would emotion to participate," Sato told CBC Sports' Tara De Boer for a communicative published by Toronto Life past December. "But, for now, I'm focused connected doing everything I tin to bring location immoderate wins for the Maple Leafs."

In betwixt her pitching appearances, Sato volition beryllium focused connected exploring restaurants successful Toronto and drinking Canadian beer.

"It's my archetypal clip surviving abroad, truthful everything's new. I'll effort to cherish each azygous infinitesimal present successful Toronto," she said.

"I deliberation I'll look for a bully brew erstwhile I'm not connected the field."