The has signed Ayami Sato, making her the first female player in the 106-year history of the Ontario-based Intercounty Baseball League.
Sato, 34, is considered one of the best female pitchers in the world. She has won six consecutive Women鈥檚 Baseball World Cup championships with Japan, part of the country鈥檚 stretch of seven in a row, and she won three consecutive tournament MVP awards, in 2014. 2016 and 2018.
鈥淚 am so thrilled to have the opportunity to play with the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs,鈥 Sato said in a press release. 鈥淚t is a dream come true for me to play at this competitive level with former major-leaguers and top minor-league players.鈥
Sato dominated the Japan Women鈥檚 Baseball League before it folded in 2021, posting a 2.31 ERA in its last four seasons.
鈥淎s someone who has five sisters, I am overjoyed to see Ayami Sato have the opportunity to play in Canada鈥檚 premier professional baseball league,鈥 Cito Gaston said in the release.
Gaston, who managed the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993, joined the Leafs in October as a special adviser.
The additions of Sato and Gaston are part of 海角社区官网businessman Keith Stein鈥檚 overhaul of the team. Stein bought the Leafs for more than $1 million last year and promised to 鈥渕ake this team really big.鈥
鈥淚 feel a duty to do everything I can to build this team, invest in the team (and) invest in Christie Pits,鈥澛爃e told the Star.
The Leafs finished seventh in the IBL in 2024 with a 17-25 record. They were swept in the quarterfinals by the Barrie Baycats, who went on to win the league championship.
The IBL fields nine semi-professional clubs across Southern Ontario. The Leafs have called Christie Pits home since 1969, when they were founded by Jack and Lynne Dominico. The team鈥檚 namesake dates back to 1886.
鈥淏abe Ruth hit his first professional home run against the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs in 1914,鈥 Stein said in the release. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud that we can once again make history with the signing of Sato. It is a great moment for our team and a milestone for women鈥檚 baseball.鈥
Sato鈥檚 signing comes less than a week after the IBL rival Hamilton Cardinals signed former MLB closer Fernando Rodney. The 47-year-old spent 17 seasons in the big leagues, amassing 327 career saves and making the all-star team on three occasions.
The signing also comes a month after Stein announced plans to launch a new professional women鈥檚 baseball league that will begin play in 2026 with at least six teams. That league will have Sato as a special adviser.
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