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Ryan Johnson pitching against Australia at 2026 World Baseball Classic at the Tokyo Dome. (Maty\u00e1\u0161 Fous photo)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If Johnson\u2019s lucky \u2014 or unlucky depending how you look at it \u2014 he might find himself on the mound at some point against the best ball player on the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been funny, the amount of people that have sent me DMs being like \u2018Yo, you might have a chance to pitch against Ohtani.\u2019 And I\u2019ve been like \u2018Yeah, that would be cool,\u2019\u201d said Johnson, who\u2019s been living and playing professionally in Czechia for the past five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping to get a couple innings against Japan and not get smoked around the yard. But I\u2019m excited. I think it\u2019ll be an amazing match and the atmosphere against Japan will be legendary.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how did a Winnipegger get involved with the Czechia baseball scene?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It marked the first time a local had suited up for the Fish since Donnie Smith\u2019s last season in 2006.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat helped a lot when I went against Australia, or any other moment,\u201d said Johnson, who gave up two runs in Czechia\u2019s 5-1 loss to the Aussies last week. He\u2019s also had a pair of at-bats as a pinch hitter in the tournament.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Czechia\u2019s Ryan Johnson is struck out by Taiwan during a World Baseball Classic game between Taiwan and Czechia in Tokyo, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Hiro Komae \/ The Associated Press)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents are still gonna love me, my friends will make fun of me if I do something stupid, but they\u2019re still gonna love me. It\u2019s a sport, it\u2019s a game, and nothing\u2019s bigger than family and friends at the end of the day. The Goldeyes helped me realize that a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fish released Johnson two months later, and the following year, he got an offer to play professionally in Germany.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even know that they played ball, to be honest with you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t hit in roughly seven years but managed to belt out several homers in a batting practice session.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was like \u2018Yeah, you\u2019re in the starting lineup now,\u2019\u201d said the 6-5 Johnson, who can play first base and outfield.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom there, it just kind of kept going and I haven\u2019t stopped hitting.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2021, Johnson took his talents to Czechia and he\u2019s been there ever since. He\u2019s been an all-star hitter and pitcher, and even won a home run derby.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now officially a Czech citizen and can represent them on the world stage.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I can make an impact here. Don\u2019t 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 \u2014 I love those guys and love what they do for the province,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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. \u201cAnd dude, living in Czech is sick. Really great country, amazing people, and a great culture.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Johnson was on a train to Budapest for a vacation with his girlfriend at the time.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Czech Republic\u2019s Ryan Johnson pitches against Australia in the eighth inning of a World Baseball Classic game in Tokyo, Friday, March 6, 2026. (Hiro Komae \/ The Associated Press)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like 5:30 in the morning with the time change, and I\u2019m 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,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t even care, I don\u2019t know these people but I\u2019m just like \u2018You guys don\u2019t realize what happened \u2014 a three-run home run! Czechia is up!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Team Czechia is made up of players who work regular 9-to-5s. Johnson\u2019s an English teacher who plays alongside a nuclear equipment operator, a real estate agent, a firefighter, and a construction superintendent \u2014 just to name a few. As the only winless team in Pool C, they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a cherry on top for the career that I\u2019ve had,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cFor a guy from Winnipeg, I never would have guessed that I\u2019d be representing Czech Republic, like, that\u2019s outrageous. Nobody had that on their bingo card.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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