A sit-down with baseball sensation Ayami Sato
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| A sensation from day one, Ayami Sato is routinely sought out for autographs and photos whenever the Leafs play. (photo by Craig Aikin) |
It’s a Friday night in July, an hour before gametime at Christie Pits.
Ayami Sato seeks out a shady spot on a bench beside a tree. Speaking through interpreter Yoko Van Veen, she says the heatwave doesn’t bother her, that it’s even more humid in Japan. She only wants to get out of the sunlight while we talk.
Sato has just finished helping her Toronto Maple Leafs teammates at batting practice. As a pitcher, her duty was to retrieve baseballs. As one of the most accomplished female baseball players in the world, the task might have seemed beneath her, but it was not.
Last winter, the Leafs made international headlines when they signed Sato, who helped her native country win five women’s world baseball championships. This spring she became not only the first woman to play for Toronto, but the first in Canadian pro baseball history.
A year ago, she never imagined she’d be sitting on this bench, not far from the kids’ splash pad.
“This is a very casual place to play baseball,” she says. “Everybody can just drop by and watch. I feel the players and fans are very close and they can interact easily.”
Sato was an opening day sensation. Her presence attracted thousands of spectators. She started the game and pitched two perfect innings.
“Every moment here has been precious for me, but when I stood on the mound and made my first pitch, that was the most memorable moment,” she says.
Since opening day, Sato has settled into the bullpen. Like most ballplayers, she’s had her ups and downs over the course of the season.
After some games, Sato has posted long messages on social media, analysing her performance on the mound, being self-critical when necessary, and always looking forward to the next game determined to succeed. Not a common practice among North American athletes, it’s another thing that has made her stand out from her peers.
She routinely praises her teammates online, and says she enjoys the collegial atmosphere of the Leafs’ clubhouse, a place filled with postgame music, pizza and beers – three things that break down barriers in most places.
She appreciates the diversity of Toronto, and the Leafs’ roster reflects that diversity. Being the only Japanese is not as isolating when her teammates here are Canadian, American, Dominican, Venezuelan and Korean.
“Playing with those guys, it’s very inspiring,” she says. She admits it was a huge leap from living near Tokyo and playing for a women’s team to competing against men in a foreign country. “But I just jumped into the environment and tried to do my best to adjust.”
Prior to making the move to Toronto, Sato received messages of support from former Toronto Blue Jays Munenori Kawasaki and Yusei Kikuchi, who encouraged her to enjoy her journey.
The support of her countrymen followed her to Canada. Sato says she can pick out voices shouting in Japanese when she is on the mound.
“I hear a lot of supporting voices and I know they are out there and I’m happy to receive that support,” she says.
In between game days, Sato has spent time visiting girls’ baseball teams, coaching and speaking to younger players. She has also taken the opportunity to play tourist, visiting Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, Centre Island and Kensington Market.
She is impressed by Toronto’s Japanese food scene, praising Ikkousha Ramen and Taro’s Fish in particular. She is also amused by the creativity of Canadian sushi restaurants. She breaks into a wide smile as she describes how one place put cream cheese on top of salmon, something she’d never seen before.
As for Toronto’s greater food scene: “There are so many temptations when it comes to sweets. I like fried chicken and French fries and I’d love to try [more] but since I have to perform, I restrict myself.”
She lives close to Christie Pits and has travelled around the city on all modes of transport. Asked to compare Toronto’s subway system to that of Tokyo, she goes politely silent.
“It’s small,” she concedes, “but I can access anywhere easily so I think it’s very convenient. I use it a lot.”
Some of Sato’s teammates begin to emerge from the clubhouse in uniform. First pitch is approaching.
Since arriving in April, Sato has loved her time in Toronto. However, she will return to Japan in September and rejoin her Saitama Seibu Lions women’s team for a big competition in October.
Looking ahead, she has her eyes on the nascent Women’s Pro Baseball League, which will be the first of its kind in North America in over 70 years when it begins play in 2026.
For now, the present beckons. It’s time to suit up for this evening’s game. The Maple Leafs are hosting the Guelph Royals as they battle for playoff contention.
Sato is fully committed to doing her part to help the Leafs succeed. Modest to a fault, she doesn’t dwell on her place in Toronto sports history. Having achieved that by spending the summer here, her focus is on the collective goal.
“We play as a team, so every player has to do their best in their positions,” she says. “That’s the beauty of baseball. I have to play my role and focus on what I have to do. I’ve started to figure it out, and by the end of the season I hope I can say I did my best and it was a great season.”
[This story was originally published in the August 2025 edition of the Annex Gleaner.]
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