Ayami Sato will make baseball history in Toronto — and blaze a trail for women in sports
Japanese pitcher, 35, will be 1st woman to join pro men's league in debut with Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday
When Ayami Sato takes to the mound at Toronto's Christie Pits park on Sunday, her first pitch will make history.
Sato, 35, has come all the way from Japan to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of nine teams in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) of southern Ontario. She'll be the first woman to join a professional men's league in Canada.
The IBL is more than 100 years old and some of its players spent time on Major League Baseball teams or in other elite leagues.
Sato is already considered a legend in women's international baseball. As part of Japan's national team, she helped her country win world championships and took home three MVP awards along the way.
She told CBC News in a recent interview at the ball diamond that she's honoured to be a Maple Leaf and to break the gender barrier in Canadian baseball.
"I am so happy, very excited," Sato said in English, with much of the rest of the interview conducted via a translator.
Maple Leafs manager and former Toronto Blue Jay Rob Butler says Sato is considered the best pitcher ever in women's baseball, and the team is happy to give her the chance to showcase her skills.
"We're excited to see something new, something different, something fresh," he said. "We want to break some barriers down and give her a great opportunity."
Butler says the Maple Leafs hope Sato, who's brought "an amazing interest to women's baseball" will also draw new fans to their games this summer, especially women.
Sato 'in a league of her own'
Ashley Stephenson, who played against Sato as a member of the Canadian national team, predicts she'll easily earn the respect of fans in Canada.
"She's an outstanding pitcher, the best pitcher I ever faced in international competition," Stephenson said in a video call from Florida where she coaches with one of the Blue Jays' minor league teams.
"She was in a league of her own."
But Stephenson, who's a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, says she's also sad that there's no professional women's baseball league in Canada for players at Sato's level, especially considering the recent success of women's professional leagues in soccer, hockey and basketball.
"Part of me wishes we had that for baseball, too," she said.
A new baseball ecosystem for women
Keith Stein, a Toronto businessman who is one of the Maple Leafs owners, is working on granting Stephenson's wish.
He's currently building the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) with American baseball trailblazer Justine Siegal.
Stein told CBC News that it's a "travesty" that there's no pro league for women. For a long time, he says, girls were pushed to play softball instead of hardball, something he hopes the WPBL will help to change.
"We think the WPBL is going to be the catalyst for the creation of a whole new baseball ecosystem and culture for women, not only in the United States but throughout the world," he said.
So far, more than 50 Canadian women have applied to try out for the league, which will start with six U.S. teams in 2026, though Stein hopes to eventually expand it north in future seasons.
"There will be a franchise in Toronto," he declared.
World-Series winning Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is an advisor to the league, and so is Sato. Stein hopes she'll be a player, too.
For now, the Japanese pitcher, who knows little about Canada other than that it's cold and hockey is more popular than baseball, is gearing up for her first game with her teammates.
"They've been really great and I'm looking forward to playing with them," Sato said. At a recent practice, the players were giving her encouraging words, high fives and fist bumps.
'Blaze a trail for us'
It's not lost on Sato that she's making history. She hopes playing in a men's pro league demonstrates courage to young girls and that they'll follow her example of accepting new challenges.
"I hope that will inspire a lot of little girls here," she said.
Mission already accomplished, according to the young players taking part in a Canadian Girls Baseball League practice at a park not too far from where the Maple Leafs play.
"I've heard that she's a legend," said Quinsey Jenkins, 12. "I'm excited that a girl is going to be pitching amongst boys — and hopefully she can beat them."
Her message to Sato: "Go out and make all the other girls like me proud, and blaze a trail for us so we can follow."
Danielle Waserman thinks it's unfair there's no pro league for Sato and other women in Canada. "It's very strong of her to play in a men's league and I really look up to her," said the 10-year-old player.
Sophia Bonder, whose uniform t-shirt reads "I'm Changing the Game," is anxiously awaiting a women's league she can watch on TV.
For now, the 13-year-old is happy Sato is playing in her city where she can go cheer on a superstar.
"I'm glad she's getting a chance to show her talents to everyone else," said Bonder. "And I'm proud."
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