There was a special moment for Britt Apgar at the Women’s Professional Baseball League tryouts in Washington, D.C. Sure, she was trying out to become a professional baseball player, so much of the experience felt memorable.
But when she looks back on it, one image stands above the rest: Ayami Sato throwing a bullpen session.
“There was never not a crowd around her,” Apgar told The IX Sports. “You could feel the respect when she was out there.”
36-year-old Sato is widely considered the greatest women’s baseball pitcher of all time, and in August she will make her United States professional debut with the Los Angeles Queens during the WPBL’s opening weekend.
The Queens selected Sato with the No. 2 overall pick, immediately after Kelsie Whitmore, widely regarded as the best hitter in the draft. At 5-foot-5, Sato doesn’t immediately fit the image of a dominant pitcher.
Yet she has a quiet star power. Conversations fade when she begins warming up. Crowds gather around her bullpen. Whispers replace chatter when she steps onto the mound.
Greatness is about to happen.
“Sato is the epitome of women’s baseball globally,” said Boston Hunters catcher Beth Greenwood. “In her career she has helped set and uphold the standard that is the dynasty of the Japanese World Cup team. She has an elite arsenal (of pitches), challenges hitters with her off-speed pitches and you have to respect her fastball.”
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That reputation has been built over more than a decade of dominance. A six-time Women’s Baseball World Cup champion with Team Japan, Sato was named tournament MVP in 2014, 2016 and 2018. She made her World Cup debut in 2010, going 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA while beating Puerto Rico and throwing a shutout against Venezuela.
“I always want to stay true to my pitching style with a complete sense of conviction,” Sato said through her translator, Mayo Hirano. “My goal is to take control of the game whenever I’m on the mound, and that’s what I hope fans will notice. Most of all, I hope they get caught up in the excitement and experience that passion right alongside me.”
Sato also became the first woman to play for a Canadian men’s professional baseball team.
She began playing baseball at 9 years old and joined a boys team in junior high school in Japan, where she quickly discovered she had exceptional command.
“I remember how much fun it was whenever things went well,” Sato said of her early days in baseball. “That excitement drew me deeper and deeper into the game. At the age of 18, when I was in high school, that was when I went through a period where things weren’t going well. It was really difficult, but I learned to face myself, work through struggles, and come out stronger…I began to appreciate not only my performance, but also the strategy of pitching, the mental battle with the hitters, and all the deeper aspects of the game. So looking back, I think that was the moment that I truly fell in love with baseball.”
That approach has produced one of the most unique arsenals in the sport. Sato throws her fastball in the upper 70s and pairs it with a sweeping curveball and her signature cutting slider. Her curveball has been clocked at 2,583 revolutions per minute. According to The Week in a story in 2018, former MLB ace Clayton Kershaw averaged 2,373 RPM on his curveball for comparison.
“That drop curve is nasty,” Apgar said. “Her junk balls are going to be top notch to watch this season… Watching her pitch and seeing how her stuff moves, every pitcher has a curveball or something, but based on how that person throws it, it’s different for everyone. And I’ve never seen balls move the way she can move them.”
Even after the Japan Women’s Baseball League folded in 2019, Sato continued to dominate. She led the league in strikeouts in three of the final four seasons while posting a 2.31 ERA. As women’s baseball in Japan evolved, Nippon Professional Baseball organizations began creating women’s clubs alongside their men’s teams. Sato has played for the Seibu Lions Ladies before being drafted into the WPBL.
“I’m really looking forward to finally playing amongst many of the same players who have been on this journey,” Sato said. “More than anything, I’m excited for the opportunity to play with talented players from around the world, and that’s something that I’ve been working for for a long time.”
Women’s baseball has grown in the United States to the point where players like Kelsie Whitmore, Mo’ne Davis and Ashton Lansdell have become recognizable names, whether through viral moments or appearances with teams such as the Savannah Bananas and Indianapolis Clowns.
But the biggest star in the WPBL may end up being the woman who has spent the last 15 years quietly dominating the international game.
“Women’s baseball is so small, it’s hard not to hear about all the big names,” Apgar said. “But, in my opinion, Sato is the biggest.”
