Pitching Legend Makes History

Ayami Sato, who may be the greatest female baseball player ever, just became the first woman to play on a men’s professional team in Canada.

Ayami Sato of the Toronto Maple Leafs throws a pitch during her debut (first) game in Canada.

Ayami Sato just made history. When the 35-year-old stepped onto the mound as the starting pitcher for the Toronto Maple Leafs last month, she became the first woman to play on a men’s professional baseball league in Canada.

Sato was on fire during her debut game against the Kitchener Panthers on May 11. In the first two innings, she struck out one batter and did not allow a single batter to reach first base. Although the Maple Leafs lost to the Panthers 6–5, the defeat didn’t make Sato’s presence any less noteworthy.

“The world is watching,” Maple Leafs manager Rob Butler told CTV News. “It’s been amazing the excitement she has brought to Toronto and this league.”

“When I was on the mound and just looking at all the crowds, the big crowds cheering, that was a very memorable memory for me,” Sato told the CBC.

Toronto Maple Leafs starting pitcher Ayami Sato (center) greets her teammates before her debut game in Canada.

While playing on a men’s team may be new for Sato, she has already earned legendary status in her home country of Japan, where she first started playing in the Japan Women’s Baseball League in 2013. During her time with the league, she helped her team win six world championships and was crowned Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times.

Sato is best known for her curveball, but her fastball reaches speeds of up to about 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers per hour). Because of those stats, many people believe she’s the greatest female baseball player in history.

“I love to pitch because the pitcher is in the spotlight,” Sato told MLB.com. “I like being in control.”

The Maple Leafs are one of nine teams in Canada’s Intercounty Baseball League (IBL), an independent league that has been in operation for more than 100 years. Many IBL players once played for Major League Baseball (MLB), while others may have the MLB in their future.

Sato brought her own star power to the Maple Leafs. Girls approached her before the May 11 game, asking if she would sign their baseballs. Sato says she wants to inspire more kids to take up the sport. Meanwhile, Canadian fans are excited to find out what the season will bring.

“It’s just great to see women in sports getting to play the game they love to play,” one fan told CTV.

Did You Know?

London, Ontario, Canada, is home to the world’s oldest surviving baseball diamond. Labatt Memorial Park (shown above) has hosted baseball games since 1877.

Firsts on the Fields

This poster, which was made in the year 1900, advertises Lizzie Arlington as a “famous lady pitcher.”

Ayami Sato isn’t the first great female baseball player, and she won’t be the last. In the summer of 2026, the Women’s Pro Baseball League will debut (begin) with six teams, giving more talented women the chance to play pro baseball.

Women have been playing baseball for as long as men have, but they haven’t had the same opportunity to shine as their male peers. Below, we’re highlighting some of the women who have made baseball history.

Lizzie Arlington

After signing with the Reading Coal Heavers in 1898, Lizzie Arlington became the first woman to play on a men’s professional baseball team. Arlington pitched one inning in a game but was not allowed to play in any more games with men after that. She later traveled with an all-female baseball club.

Special Collections—Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

Alta Weiss (center, seated) with her team, the Weiss All-Stars

Alta Weiss

In 1907, 17-year-old Alta Weiss became a pitcher with a semi-pro baseball team called the Vermilion Independents. After pitching in eight games that season, Weiss became the star of a traveling team called the Weiss All-Stars before retiring from baseball to go to medical school and become a doctor.

Toni Stone

When Toni Stone signed on to play second base for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953, she became the first woman to play professional baseball as a regular on a big-league team. The Clowns were a team in the Negro leagues, which had been set up at a time when Black players were not allowed to play in the major leagues. (During Stone’s playing career, Black players were just starting to be allowed into the majors.) Stone played 50 games with the Clowns, facing legendary pitchers like Satchell Paige.

In this 1931 photo, Lou Gehrig (left) and Babe Ruth (center) of the New York Yankees watch Jackie Mitchell pitch a fastball.

Jackie Mitchell

In 1931, the president of the Chattanooga Lookouts spotted a talented 17-year-old pitcher named Jackie Mitchell and invited her to play in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. During the game, Mitchell struck out baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, something pro pitchers struggled to do. Some baseball fans claim the strikeouts weren’t real—that they were planned to get more people interested in baseball.

Calling All Sports Fans!

© Masterpress, Ethan Miller, Robert Prange, Maddie Meyer, Ryan Pierse, Minas Panagiotakis, Lukas Blazek, Laurence Griffiths, Stu Forster, Hannah Peters, dpa picture alliance, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images, © Marta Fernandez, Celso Pupo Rodrigues, The Skydiver/Dreamstime.com

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