The cap worn by the 'Czech electrician' who struck out Shohei Ohtani enters Hall of Fame

He struck out Shohei Ohtani -- along with Lars Nootbaar and Munetaka Murakami, though those two K's didn’t receive nearly the same level of attention.

He followed that up with nearly five shutout innings against Japan in March this year, finishing his national team career with a standing ovation from a sold out Tokyo Dome crowd and a kind word from Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata.

Now, Czechia pitcher and electrical technician Ondřej Satoria is adding another highlight to his reel: His World Baseball Classic ballcap is going into the Hall of Fame.

“When I really think about it, it’s kind of insane. A Czech electrician’s cap is going to end up in the Hall of Fame,” Satoria told MLB.com. “Just one more reason to visit it someday.”

Satoria’s performance in the last two World Baseball Classic tournaments is one of the tourney's most enduring moments, fondly remembered alongside Ohtani’s strikeout of Mike Trout to end the 2023 Classic, Daniel Palencia’s tears as he closed out Venezuela’s win in the 2026 championship and Adam Jones’ game-saving home run robbery.

That his performance came as an amateur player from a small, central European nation helped display baseball’s continued growth around the globe, as well as connect with fans who dream that they, too, could strike out Ohtani if just given the chance.

Now, for the "electrician" from Ostrava, a city on the Polish border, his cap will be in the Hall, alongside other WBC mementos like Palencia’s mango-tree cleats, Daisuke Matsuzaka’s 2006 World Baseball Classic jersey and Bert Blyleven’s 2009 Netherlands cap. Satoria may not have played in the Majors, but he’ll always be a part of the Hall.

“It’s crazy to think that my cap will be in the same room as some of the biggest names in baseball history,” Satoria said. “I honestly don’t even know what to say. It still doesn’t feel real.”