IBL’s Maple Leafs sign Ayami Sato, widely considered baseball’s top female pitcher

By The Canadian Press on December 3, 2024.

Japanese baseball player Ayami Sato waves to the crowd before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before the San Diego Padres host the Houston Astros in a baseball game in San Diego, Calif., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Gregory Bull

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League have signed Ayami Sato, making the Japanese pitcher the league’s first female player.

The team announced the signing in a release Tuesday.

Widely considered the top female pitcher in baseball, the 34-year-old Sato helped Japan win five of its seven consecutive Women’s Baseball World Cup titles (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018).

She was named the most valuable player of the 2014, ’16 and ’18 tournaments.

She pitched in the Japan Women’s Baseball League from 2013 until it suspended operations in 2021, leading the league in strikeouts in three of its last four seasons.

Toronto finished seventh in the IBL last season with a 17-25 record.

“I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Sato in a statement. “It is a dream come true for me to play at this competitive level with former major-leaguers and top minor league players.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024.