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| Ayami Sato chats with a fan following a screening of "See Her Be Her" at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. |
This week, Ayami Sato made some final public appearances as she prepares to return to Japan in a few days.
Thursday night, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Don Mills hosted a screening of the film “See Her Be Her” in which Sato is featured with several other women baseball players. Around 300 people attended.
Following the film, Sato engaged the audience in a Q&A session followed by a personal meet and greet.
A few things revealed during the Q&A:
Sato said that last year when she was approached to join the team, she did not hesitate and wanted to come to Canada. Her season with the Toronto Maple Leafs was really challenging, but she was grateful for the opportunity.
She said that in the IBL, the quality and power of hitters is high and she found she really had to deal with it. At some points she did badly and gave up a lot of home runs but she learned to be more strategic and added two pitches to her game: a changeup and a two-seam fastball.
She said she doesn't want to dwell on the negatives because she had many happy moments such as her appearance on Opening Day. Her time in Toronto was a wonderful experience and she wants to carry that positivity forward next year.
In August, Sato tried out and qualified to join the Women's Professional Baseball League which will begin play in 2026. The structure of the league and its clubs will be announced shortly, and a draft is expected to take place in late October.
Before saying goodbye, Sato shared a message for all the Maple Leafs fans who came to see her this year:
“Throughout this season I got to know many people here in Toronto. Thank you for having me and I want to thank you so much for inspiring me. Even after I go back to Japan I will never ever forget the people of Toronto. I will do my best and hope you will continue to follow my journey.”
