Have glove, will travel

It turns out Winnipeg has produced its own version of a Shohei Ohtani.

“Yeah, the Temu Ohtani,” joked Ryan Johnson in a recent chat with the Free Press.

The St. James A’s alum is currently pitching and hitting for Team Czechia at the World Baseball Classic. The 33-year-old will get a chance to go up against the real Ohtani on Tuesday (5 a.m. CT) when Czechia (0-3) closes out the round-robin against Japan (3-0) inside the Tokyo Dome.

If Johnson’s lucky — or unlucky depending how you look at it — he might find himself on the mound at some point against the best ball player on the planet.

“It’s been funny, the amount of people that have sent me DMs being like ‘Yo, you might have a chance to pitch against Ohtani.’ And I’ve been like ‘Yeah, that would be cool,’” said Johnson, who’s been living and playing professionally in Czechia for the past five years.

“I’m hoping to get a couple innings against Japan and not get smoked around the yard. But I’m excited. I think it’ll be an amazing match and the atmosphere against Japan will be legendary.”

So, how did a Winnipegger get involved with the Czechia baseball scene?

You have to go back to 2019 when Johnson made his pro debut as a member of his hometown Winnipeg Goldeyes. He had just finished his senior season at NCAA Division II program Lubbock Christian University in Texas where he went 13-2 with a 2.54 ERA when then-Goldeyes manager Rick Forney offered him a contract.

Johnson made his first career start on May 29 at home against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. He pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up zero runs on two hits with three strikeouts and three walks to earn the win with 30-plus friends and family members in the stands.

It marked the first time a local had suited up for the Fish since Donnie Smith’s last season in 2006.

“That helped a lot when I went against Australia, or any other moment,” said Johnson, who gave up two runs in Czechia’s 5-1 loss to the Aussies last week. He’s also had a pair of at-bats as a pinch hitter in the tournament.

“My parents are still gonna love me, my friends will make fun of me if I do something stupid, but they’re still gonna love me. It’s a sport, it’s a game, and nothing’s bigger than family and friends at the end of the day. The Goldeyes helped me realize that a lot.”

The Fish released Johnson two months later, and the following year, he got an offer to play professionally in Germany.

“I didn’t even know that they played ball, to be honest with you,” he said.

Once he got out there, the manager asked him if he had any experience hitting as the club was struggling to score runs. Johnson hadn’t hit in roughly seven years but managed to belt out several homers in a batting practice session.

“He was like ‘Yeah, you’re in the starting lineup now,’” said the 6-5 Johnson, who can play first base and outfield.

“From there, it just kind of kept going and I haven’t stopped hitting.”

In 2021, Johnson took his talents to Czechia and he’s been there ever since. He’s been an all-star hitter and pitcher, and even won a home run derby.

He’s now officially a Czech citizen and can represent them on the world stage.

“I think I can make an impact here. Don’t get me wrong, I think I can make an impact from a coaching standpoint in Winnipeg, for sure, but honestly, there are other guys there that are doing a sensational job like everyone at Home Run Sports — I love those guys and love what they do for the province,” said Johnson.

“But I just saw an opportunity in Czech that was kind of untapped still and I knew if I stuck around I could make something cool happen with the youth guys coming up and the level of dedication that they have. “And dude, living in Czech is sick. Really great country, amazing people, and a great culture.”

Czechia qualified for their first WBC in 2023 but Johnson just missed out on getting his residency in time to play. Thankfully for him, they avoided relegation by beating China which secured their place for 2026. China led 5-4 in the ninth before Czechia first baseman Martin Muzik blasted a three-run home run.

Johnson was on a train to Budapest for a vacation with his girlfriend at the time.

“It’s like 5:30 in the morning with the time change, and I’m watching it live. The girlfriend is kind of in and out of sleep, people are commuting to work, and he hits this home run and I start losing my mind,” he said. “I don’t even care, I don’t know these people but I’m just like ‘You guys don’t realize what happened — a three-run home run! Czechia is up!’”

Team Czechia is made up of players who work regular 9-to-5s. Johnson’s an English teacher who plays alongside a nuclear equipment operator, a real estate agent, a firefighter, and a construction superintendent — just to name a few. As the only winless team in Pool C, they’re guaranteed to finish in last which means they will now have to enter a qualifying tournament for the next iteration of the WBC. Regardless of that, or how many long balls Ohtani hits Tuesday, nothing could sour the experience.

“What a cherry on top for the career that I’ve had,” said Johnson. “For a guy from Winnipeg, I never would have guessed that I’d be representing Czech Republic, like, that’s outrageous. Nobody had that on their bingo card.”

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Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.