Leafs baseball club makes historic signing of star female pitcher Ayami Soto
3 2024, 9:49 am
TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY
Dec 3 2024, 9:49 am
TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to make history.
And while the NHL team with the same name might be off to do something historic, it’s actually the Intercounty Baseball League’s Maple Leafs baseball team who have signed Japanese pitcher Ayami Soto, the first woman in league history.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs are honoured to announce the signing of Ayami Soto, one of the best pitchers in the world, who will make history as the first woman to play professional baseball in Canada,” the team posted on social media today.
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Soto has won six world championships with Japan, including being named the 2014, 2016, and 2018 MVPs and two All-Star selections at the Women’s Baseball World Cup.
The Maple Leafs, who play out of Christie Pits in the Annex, have long been a Toronto summer institution. While most sporting events charge money for their games, one of the biggest draws to attending a Leafs game is the ability to simply walk into the public park for free and find a seat on Christie Pits’ iconic hills.
The Leafs, who were purchased in 2023 by a group led by Toronto businessman Keith Stein, have been undergoing an organizational transformation to generate buzz for the franchise, including a revamped concession setup and a partnership with local brand Left Field Brewery, which produces the Leafs Lager named after the team.
“We need to get players who are going to get us some attention in Toronto,” Stein told Daily Hive in an interview earlier in the year. “Next season, we’re going to really, I think, take this thing to another level.”
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