Toronto Maple Leafs Pitcher Sato Ayami's Debut

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.