Sato has perfect debut with IBL’s Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Star female pitcher Ayami Sato made history as the first woman to play in a Canadian men’s professional baseball league on Sunday.

She also had a perfect debut for the Intercounty Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sato struck out one batter without allowing anyone on base in the first two innings of an eventual 6-5 loss to the Kitchener Panthers.

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Fans at Dominico Field in Christie Pits welcomed Sato with loud applause when the public address announcer introduced her in the starting lineup for Toronto’s home opener.

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Widely considered the top female pitcher in baseball, the 35-year-old from Japan signed with the Maple Leafs in December to become the IBL’s first female player.

Sato helped Japan win five of its seven consecutive Women’s Baseball World Cup titles (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), earning MVP honours in 2014, ’16 and ’18.

She pitched in the Japan Women’s Baseball League from 2013 until it suspended operations in 2021, leading the league in strikeouts in three of its last four seasons.

Toronto finished seventh in the IBL last season with a 17-25 record.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2025.