Toronto Maple Leafs Pitcher Sato Ayami's Debut

2025/5/12

On May 11, Sato Ayami, Japan women’s national baseball team’s star player who has led the team to five World Cup medals, made her debut as a pitcher for the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was the first time a female player had played in the over a hundred year’s history of Canada's Intercountry Baseball League, and she attracted a lot of attention, including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow offering words of encouragement at the pre-season ceremony and her photo appearing on the front page of national newspapers the following day. Consul-General Matsunaga also attended the pre-season ceremony and cheered on Ms. Sato.