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Ayami Sato waved them over, peeled herself away from her teammates and media members eager to ask about a historic sixth consecutive Women鈥檚 Baseball World Cup gold in Thunder Bay last summer. The young Canadians came forward, and Sato went from legend to peer with one easy smile.

It鈥檚 been a common scene for over a decade. The 35-year-old Sato, a three-time World Cup MVP to go with her six gold medals, has long cemented herself as the most talented female pitcher on the planet, a model for generations of young women with a dream of playing pro ball. Now, she鈥檚 set to make history again.

Sato will be the starting pitcher in the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs鈥� Intercounty Baseball League home opener Sunday afternoon at Dominico Field. She鈥檒l become the first woman to play for a men鈥檚 professional baseball team in Canada, the latest stop in a career marked by conviction and pioneering.

鈥淲hen I was in Japan, I never imagined that I would be here, playing baseball in Canada,鈥� Sato said through interpreter Yoko Van Veen during a press conference Thursday. 鈥淚t still feels like a dream to me. I鈥檓 getting a lot of attention now, and I hope I play (well) and bring hope and passion for the future female baseball players in Canada.鈥�

Sato didn鈥檛 have to move 11,475 kilometres from home to achieve that. Just look back at the handful of youngsters 鈥� trail blazers in their own right 鈥� fangirling over Sato on that August afternoon in Thunder Bay.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 even have words for it,鈥� Raine Padgham, a 19-year-old pitcher for Team Canada, said at the time. 鈥淪he鈥檚 incredible. Just being on the same field as her is pretty incredible, so being able to ask for a picture is even crazier.鈥�

As a rule, Sato obliges. She鈥檚 been making the media rounds since arriving in Toronto, tirelessly promoting her new team and her historic feat, often followed by a producer and a full camera crew.

Sato isn鈥檛 doing it because she chose to be a star, but because she understands the weight of being first.

鈥淚 can’t achieve big things just by myself, but by playing baseball, I know there are a lot of supporters, a lot of people cheering me on,鈥� Sato told the Star in an exclusive interview. 鈥淎nd because I get a lot of supporters, I do feel responsibility, but it’s not a big burden. I have a feeling that we all are creating this together, and that really excites me. That keeps me going.鈥�

Growing up with no female role models in the sport, Sato had to fight for her space from a young age, at first playing with the boys in junior high, then moving to all-girls teams in high school and college. She was one of the biggest names in the Japan Women鈥檚 Baseball League, which folded in 2021, and she joined the Seibu Lions Ladies in Nippon Professional Baseball after that.

International events like the World Cup boosted Sato鈥檚 visibility and helped propel women鈥檚 baseball around the globe. In Canada, the building blocks were set by local legends like Nicole Luchanski, St茅phanie Savoie, Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ashley Stephenson and the late Amanda Asay, all of whom were part of the original Team Canada, a bronze-winning squad at the 2004 Women’s Baseball World Cup in Edmonton.

鈥淭he national team changed my life,鈥� said Stephenson, now a coach with Team Canada and with the Class-A Dunedin Blue Jays. 鈥淚 love playing ball, and I never thought any of this would be possible. I never thought I would ever have a chance to coach in the Blue Jays聽organization. And, quite frankly, if I didn’t have a playing career with the national team, I don’t think I would be here.鈥�

Stephenson and her teammates fought hard for that life-changing achievement. From their sacrifices, a movement was born, and momentum is still rising.

According to Baseball Canada, female registration has grown year over year for the past decade (save for 2020 and 2021, when there was no data collected due to the COVID-19 pandemic), with 29,959 females registering at the provincial level in 2024. That number goes up with the inclusion of Little League Canada and other programs outside of Baseball Canada鈥檚 domain. The rising interest brings new opportunities, as evidenced by the inclusion of women鈥檚 baseball in this year鈥檚 Canada Games.

But momentum can only take you so far in an uphill battle.

Sato鈥檚 journey was far from a breeze. More than once, she found herself without a place to play, feeling like 鈥渁 nobody鈥� as she was forced to step away from pro ball for periods of time. Still, the early road existed, while playing baseball in college is a privilege reserved for very few females in North America.

With no academic path and no professional league to shoot for, a large number of potential stars drop the game before they can make it to Team Canada. The ones who stick with it need to reconcile tournament schedules with their day jobs.

鈥淲e’ve got teachers, firefighters, business people, college athletes and everyone trying to find time off to come to the women’s team,鈥� said Baseball Canada president Jason Dickson. 鈥淥ur single greatest challenge is when our young athletes get a little bit older and have to commit more to having a career 鈥� Those are the challenges that we have that a lot of the time we don鈥檛 control.鈥�

The problem starts even sooner, though. Baseball Canada鈥檚 numbers show significant drops in registration from the under-13, under-16 and under-18 age groups.

Athletes need聽incentives, especially at an age when career paths start to shape up. Adding women鈥檚 baseball to the Canada Games with under-16 age eligibility is a good start, but there鈥檚 a need for more initiatives.

鈥淵oung girls have dreams of playing at the highest level, and right now, that’s the national team,鈥� Stephenson said. 鈥淏ut it’s really hard to go from playing a couple times a week to the national team without rungs on the ladder that are going to help you get there 鈥� That’s why a junior national team is critical to our development of women’s baseball in this country.鈥�

Stephenson and others within the program have defended the creation of a women鈥檚 junior team for years, stating the importance of working with provinces to identify and retain talent. Canada was the youngest team at the 2024聽Women’s Baseball World Cup, in large part due to intense turnover after the 2018 edition. If the program can keep last year鈥檚 bronze-winning group, this team will certainly be stronger in the next cycle. But it would also mean that, for years ahead, younger athletes would have limited spots to compete for within the national team.

Adding an in-between could make it harder for talent to drift away. According to Dickson, Baseball Canada has had conversations about creating a junior team, but without a competition backed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the impetus doesn鈥檛 seem strong.

Meanwhile, the United States revitalized its program through baseball clinics around the country, many of them promoted by Major League Baseball. In Japan, independent opportunities still exist at varying levels. Canada doesn鈥檛 have nearly as many outside initiatives to help with talent retention.

鈥淚t just seems like everybody’s willing to sit on their hands until the WBSC does something about it,鈥� Stephenson said. 鈥淏ut for me, that’s not real leadership. That’s not real leadership from our (national sports organization) or, quite frankly, anybody else’s NSOs.鈥�

Baseball Canada鈥檚 focus is elsewhere.

鈥淲e need to be real conscious of keeping our foot on the gas at the lowest developmental levels,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淚 think we still need to continue making sure that, at a provincial level or a club level or association level, we’re still making sure that we’re creating those opportunities, getting as many female baseball players involved and really trying to create that base of players that will then enter into that pathway.鈥�

Where that pathway leads is uncertain.

There鈥檚 reason for cautious optimism in the form of the Women鈥檚 Pro Baseball League, which has Sato as a special adviser and is set to begin next year in six cities on the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. One of the league鈥檚 founders is Keith Stein, owner of the IBL Leafs.

Stein, the businessman, knows an untapped market when he sees it. The booming growth of the WNBA and the recent success of the PWHL signal a rising interest in women鈥檚 sports. Baseball has lagged behind for years, but a few well-placed investments could change that.

That鈥檚 far from Stein鈥檚 only motivator, though. Becoming more involved in women鈥檚 baseball brought out a genuine passion. That鈥檚 how he ended up on a Zoom call with the greatest female pitcher of all time, making a case to bring her to Toronto.

鈥淭his goes beyond just what happens at Christie Pits,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淚’m very loyal to her, very committed to Sato. She鈥檚 become a friend, she’s staying at my home.鈥�

What he鈥檚 seen since Sato鈥檚 arrival has firmly put him on the fan bandwagon. It鈥檚 not just the 7 a.m. pushups, or the above-average intelligence, or the fact that she鈥檚 a real good ballplayer. It鈥檚 also about what Sato represents, what she can still accomplish in the late years of her career.

鈥淧eople from around the world will be watching. This is bigger than a baseball game,鈥� Stein said during the press conference. 鈥淥n Sunday, (Sato) will show everyone, when she plays with the men, that she can strike them the f—- out.鈥�

When she does, she鈥檒l create a bit more space for women in baseball around here. Then she鈥檒l wave over the next generation 鈥� just like she did in Thunder Bay.

鈥淲hen they come to me, their smiles sparkle,鈥� Sato said at the time, welling up as she looked onto the field. 鈥淎nd their smiles (come) from their hearts. I鈥檓 the one who鈥檚 touched.鈥�