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"How can you not be romantic about baseball?"
This is a quote from the movie "Moneyball," delivered by Brad Pitt, who portrays Athletics GM, Billy Beane. The quote itself applies to baseball, which tends to have some high-emotion moments that make diehard fans fall even more in love with the game.
From Dallas Braden pitching a perfect game on Mother's Day after losing his mom as a child, to Dee Gordon hitting a home run in the first game after Jose Fernandez's death, baseball is littered with beautiful moments that force you to be romantic about the game.
Ondrej Satoria is only 29 years old, but is retiring from the Czech national team at the end of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He works normally as an electrician, and has achieved many fans' dreams of playing on an international stage and dominating. Satoria notably struck out Shohei Ohtani in 2023 and pitched 4.2 scoreless innings.
He has become a fan favorite in Japan, and when he left the field for the final time, he was given a standing ovation from the crowd at the Tokyo Dome and basked in the emotions that it brought.
Here is more on why Satoria received a standing ovation from the Tokyo Dome crowd at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
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Who is Ondrej Satoria?
Satoria plays for the Czech national team and plays for a local team in the Czech Baseball Extraliga. The lore surrounding him grows when you learn that, outside of the baseball season, he serves as an electrician. Satoria was a member of the Czech Republic's U-23 team, appearing at the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021 World Cups.
He made his debut for the overall national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic when he allowed three runs over three innings of work. While Satoria didn't have the best start in Czechia's loss, he did strike out Ohtani. The Japan Times described the moment as David toppling Goliath, adding even more hype to the moment.
Ondrej Satoria standing ovation
Satoria had long planned for this to be his final appearance with the national team, per The Athletic. After striking out Ohtani in 2023, he said that he didn't want to face Japan again. The way the cards fell, he had to start Czechia's final game of the pool play stage.
Satoria responded by pitching 4.2 scoreless innings. When he was taken out of the game, despite the game being in front of the local Japanese crowd, he got a raucous ovation that clearly took him by surprise.
After the game, Satoria went back out onto the field to take it all in one more time. The fans saw that he was on the field again and gave him another ovation, ending his international career on a high note.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 10, 2026Moments like this will last a lifetime ❤️
Team Japan and the Tokyo Dome crowd give a standing ovation to Ondrej Satoria for an inspiring career! 👏 pic.twitter.com/R91sd7238X
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How old is Ondrej Satoria?
Satoria was born on February 26, 1997. He just turned 29 but has decided to end his international competition with the 2026 WBC.
Ondrej Satoria strikes out Shohei Ohtani
Satoria first broke out on the baseball scene in 2023. While he allowed three runs in three innings of work, he did strike out Lars Nootbar, Kensuke Kondoh and Shohei Ohtani. His strikeout of Ohtani went viral from his reaction to leaving the field.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 10, 2026There is a lot of respect between Team Czechia and Team Japan. Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki accidentally hit a Czech batter, and gifted him two bags of candy afterwards as an apology. Satoria struck out Ohtani, but after the game, he presented Ohtani with his own jersey, signed by everyone on Czechia's team.
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 14, 2023After striking out Ohtani, Satoria became a respected star in Japan. Since then, when he visits the country, he is recognized and stopped by fans who ask for pictures or autographs or even offer him gifts.
Satoria loves it, saying, "It’s really nice for me. 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.”
According to MLB.com, Satoria "attended the Expo Pavilion in Osaka, and fans were so excited to meet him that he had two autograph sessions."
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