TOKYO -- One pitch changed Ondřej Satoria’s life -- and he thought it was a mistake.
Facing Shohei Ohtani in the Tokyo Dome three years ago, Satoria -- an electrical controller at ČEZ Group in Ostrava, a city on the border of Poland – threw his changeup, which he calls “The Worker.” But it came out of his hand wrong and was ticketed straight for the dirt.
“I thought, 'Oh no, it’s a [bad] pitch,'” Satoria said.
But for a pitcher whose fastball barely tops 80 mph, it was just strange enough to work: Ohtani swung, spinning in the box, his helmet tumbling off his head. The clip spread around the world and Satoria became a celebrity -- in Japan, at least. Back home in Czechia, baseball may be growing but it’s still small. No one is stopping Satoria on the street to pose for a photograph like they are in Tokyo.
“It’s really nice for me,” Satoria said. “It’s like a reward for my whole life playing baseball because nobody knows me in Czechia. I’m just a regular dude from Ostrava, but here they respect me and have me sign balls. It’s really nice to be back here.”
While the Ohtani strikeout is the one most people remember, Satoria was not simply a lucky pitcher with a poorly thrown trick pitch. He also struck out Lars Nootbaar, Kensuke Kondoh and Munetaka Murakami.
“Some guy figured out that I'm the only pitcher who struck out the first four hitters in Samurai Japan’s lineup,” Satoria said. “That's pretty crazy for me. It's maybe a better thing than only striking out Shohei.”
He’s kept it up in this year’s tournament as well: Satoria pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings against Australia, striking out three more batters and giving up only one hit. Sometimes pitching really is about changing speeds and upsetting the batters timing rather than sheer, blazing velocity.
Now, when Satoria is in Japan, he’s a star. People want to shake his hand, give him gifts, get his signature. Last year, he attended the Expo Pavilion in Osaka and fans were so excited to meet him, he had two autograph sessions.
Satoria may not be recognized on the street by average people in his home country, but when he’s pitching for Arrows Ostrava in the Extraliga, there’s definitely a little extra motivation for his competition.
“On the field, everybody knows me and it’s like a curse,” Satoria said. “When somebody hits a home run off me, then they say, ‘Oh, it’s the guy who struck out Ohtani!’”
His coworkers back at ČEZ Group like to tease him, as well, making sure posters or photos are pasted on the walls whenever he returns from a tournament with the national team.
He’s OK with the attention, though, even though sometimes he finds it difficult. Because it means that baseball in the Czech Republic is growing, that people around the world are paying attention to what a small country of 10 million people is doing on the baseball field.
“It really helped us, the Czech national team, for the world to see that we can play baseball,” Satoria said.
Satoria is a one-of-a-kind ballplayer, a Central European Bill Lee. His face hides behind a bushy beard and he has names for all his pitches. In addition to “The Worker,” there’s his fastball which he calls “The Cannon,” and his curveball which is “The Fishing Lure” as it arcs up before hooking down like when throwing out a line.
And then there’s the in-progress-sleeve full of Star Wars tattoos -- all of them focused on the Dark Side. There’s Darth Vader, Darth Maul, a Stormtrooper and a tie fighter. It’s still a work in progress -- perhaps like the Czech Republic baseball team, who must re-qualify for the next World Baseball Classic.
“I realized that I really love the story of Anakin Skywalker -- he’s a small guy, a Jedi, and Darth Vader is the best villain in movie history. So, I dedicated my arm to the life of Anakin Skywalker,” Satoria said.
Don’t expect to see the finished sleeve on a mound for the Czech national team, though. While Satoria will continue to pitch for his club in Ostrava, this tournament is his last. He has a young child now and he wants to focus on his girlfriend and son, giving them the time that used to be spent on international tournaments and training.
He also wanted to go out on top. Pitching in his final game with the national team Tuesday, Satoria hurled pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against Samurai Japan -- minus Ohtani, who did not start -- fanning three and allowing six hits.
What a great way to say goodbye?
“I think it’s right, because I got famous here three years ago, and it totally makes sense to me to end it here on probably -- for us -- the biggest international stage where we can play,” Satoria said. “I will definitely enjoy every moment that I can wear our jersey.”
Satoria helped the team win a bronze medal at this past fall’s European Baseball Championship. It’s the first medal in the Czech Republic’s history and while it may not be as big as the World Baseball Classic, it says that the team is continuing to grow in the right direction and that it now deserves its place alongside the traditional powerhouses across Europe.
“It was a long-term goal of Czech baseball,” catcher Martin Červenka said. “We have been trying to get the medal for over 20 years and we were finally able to get one. It was very special for us.”
“A medal with the national team was the last piece of my puzzle and I finally had it,” Satoria said. “I cried, I really cried. I have to say it’s the most important artifact in my collection. The ball from Shohei is always special, but the medal means everything to me. I’ve got it here in Tokyo. It’s always with me.”
Of course, while Satoria says this is the end of his national team career, a quick glance at his sleeve might make you wonder. After all, Star Wars was originally a trilogy -- and this is only the second part. In a few years time, maybe if the Czechs requalify for the World Baseball Classic, could it be time for the Return of the Jedi?