Ondřej Satoria

Ondřej Satoria
Arrows Ostrava – No. 21
Pitcher
Born: (1997-02-26) 26 February 1997
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Czech Republic
European Championship
Bronze medal – third place2025 RotterdamTeam

Ondřej Satoria (born 26 February 1997) is a Czech electrical engineer and professional baseball pitcher for Arrows Ostrava of the Czech Baseball Extraliga. He represented the Czech Republic national team in international competition.

Professional career

Satoria played with Arrows Ostrava in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.[1] At the 2023 European Champions Cup, he pitched nine scoreless innings over two games.[2]

Satoria was recognized as the 2023 Sportsman of the Year by the city of Ostrava.[3]

International career

Satoria was selected to the Czech Republic national team for four different U-23 Baseball World Cups, in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021. His best performance was in 2021, when he went 11+2⁄3 innings pitched with a 1–1 record and a 2.40 ERA.[4] He was again on the Czech roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualifiers, working a scoreless 2⁄3 innings.[5]

At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Satoria made a single appearance in a start against heavily favored Japan; he allowed three runs over three innings of work, taking the loss in the 10–2 defeat.[6] Nevertheless, he made international headlines when he struck out three Japan players: Lars Nootbaar, Kensuke Kondoh, and Shohei Ohtani.[7][8][9] The strikeout of Ohtani, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, by Satoria, a full-time electrical engineer., was described by The Japan Times as "one shining moment" where "David toppled Goliath."[10]

Satoria was also part of the Czech roster for the 2023 European Baseball Championship.[11]

Satoria returned to the Czech National Team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where he pitched 81⁄3 innings with a 0.00 ERA.[12] In his final career game for the Czech National Team, Satoria threw 42⁄3 scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only six hits.[13] He received a standing ovation from both the fans and Japan players.[14] After the tournament, he announced his retirement from international competition.[15]

Occupation

"I'm not an electrician. "The Electrician"—they gave me that nickname because I think it's easier to call me an electrician than what I actually do. My position is called small construction project manager. I don't connect wires, but I look at them. When someone has a property they want to connect to the grid, they submit a request that then lands on our desk."

— Sartoria on what he actually does.[16]

Despite popular international reporting, Satoria is not an electrician but actually an electrical engineer. He works for ČEZ, one of the largest utility companies in Central and Eastern Europe, practicing after work and playing on weekends.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ "Ondřej Satoria". Stats.baseball.cz. WBSC.
  2. ↑ "Ondřej Satoria". WBSC Europe.org. WBSC.
  3. ↑ "Sportovec roku Ostravy je Ondřej Satoria" (in Czech). POSITIV. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ondřej Satoria". WBSC.org.
  5. ↑ "Pitching Stats - Czech Republic". MLB.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  6. ↑ "Pitching Stats - Czech Republic". MLB.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Czechia v. Japan Play-by-Play". ESPN. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. ↑ "Czech electrician strikes out Shohei Ohtani; Angels star asks for his jersey". ESPN. 14 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Czech pitcher who struck out Shohei Ohtani cherishes memories and souvenirs". The Japan Times. 14 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ondrej Satoria reflects on electric WBC showdown against Shohei Ohtani". The Japan Times. 14 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Chceme skončit vítězně, říká Satoria. Baseballisté si zahrají o páté místo z mistrovství Evropy s Izraelem" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  12. ↑ https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/stats/pitching
  13. ↑ "Czechia's viral electrical worker 'Jedi' who K'd Ohtani bids farewell to Classic". MLB.com. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Team Japan and the Tokyo Dome give Ondřej Satoria a standing ovation after his incredible performance in his final career game for Czechia".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ "WBC fan favorite Satoria retires with pride and applause". The Japan Times. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Sartoria: "I am not an electrician."". Facebook. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Hašek, Martin (10 March 2026). "Hrdina Satoria: Hlavně se mi neukláněj! Inženýr z ČEZu opět šokoval Japonsko" (in Czech). Isport.cz.
  18. ↑ Baseball Czechia [@baseballczechia] (13 March 2026). "Fact check: One of the funniest hoaxes in international baseball. Ondřej Satoria isn't actually an electrician – he's an electrical engineer at @SkupinaCEZ. The title is simply harder to explain, so when the baseball world first discovered Saty's story during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, "electrical engineer" somehow turned into "electrician." Either way, the main point stays the same: Ondřej combines a regular 40-hour work week with playing baseball at the highest international level. And somehow that made him the world's most famous "electrician" who isn't actually an electrician" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  19. ↑ ""I am not an electrician." The Electrician? No, not really". Facebook. Retrieved 21 August 2026.


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