By IAN WILSON
It is a country typically associated more with hockey than baseball.
But Czechia’s ascension to the World Baseball Classic – this year marked the second WBC appearance for the European nation – has put a spotlight on the sport in the country known for its historic castles and as the birthplace of Pilsner lager.
Winnipeg product Ryan Johnson was in the middle of the action with Czechia, who shared a pool with Australia, Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei and played their opening round games in Tokyo.
The 6-foot-5 lefty was a starting pitcher for the Weyburn Beavers from 2013 to 2018. In his 41 starts and 239-plus innings in what was then called the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), Johnson had 23 wins, 253 strikeouts and a 3.64 ERA.
Johnson recently made time for Saskatchewan Dugout Stories via email for this question-and-answer session:
Q: Thanks for making time for me. You’ve had such a fascinating baseball journey, I almost don’t know where to start, but here goes. Why don’t we begin with your time in Weyburn. You spent several summers there and were one of the best pitchers in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) team’s history. Tell me about that experience and how it maybe helped you later on in your baseball career?
A: My time in Weyburn was truly something that advanced my career by a tonne. Being able to consistently compete against top college players from around North America allowed me to hone my craft and figure out what worked and didn’t work as a starting pitcher. Along with the guidance of the coaching staff of Phil Curtis, that made for a successful recipe.
Q: I believe you pitched in Germany before ending up in the Czech Republic. What was the timeline in how you ended up in Europe and what led you there?
A: 2020 was the start of my European career. The COVID pandemic made me adjust and adapt to being open to playing anywhere. With a lot of North America shutting down, it made it difficult to find a contract as a Canadian. Going from the Solingen Alligators (in Germany) to the Trebic Nuclears (in Czechia) happened in 2021 after I played in the Prague Baseball Week and ended up winning the home run derby. That got me on the Czech radar and ultimately led me to sign a contract with the Nukes.
Q: What is the baseball like in Czechia?
A: I’m going on my sixth season. Five seasons with Trebic and now I’ll be going into my first season with Hrosi Brno. The baseball is competitive and is often considered top three in Europe. I consider the league as a whole to be low-level MiLB, or high NCAA D2 or mid NCAA D1 levels.
Q: What is the lifestyle like over there and how does it compare to North American life?
A: Stress free … in all aspects of life. Sport is fun, living is at your own pace, cost of living is reasonable, the weather is never crazy and the people are fantastic. I never had living in Czechia on my bingo card but I couldnt be happier with how things have turned out thus far.
Q: You are a two-way player there. Is that common over there or are you the Czech Ohtani?
A: I wouldnt say its popular. Realistically, there are only two of us that hit and pitch consisitently – that’s myself and Marek Minarik, who actually has professional experience in the MiLB system as a pitcher.
Q: Speaking of Ohtani, Japan is in the same pool as Czechia. Have you thought at all about meeting and competing against Shohei at all? What do those day dreams look like?
A: Haha … the whole experience has been a day dream, my goodness. I realize that scenario could very well happen but I’ll just have to attack it like any other problem and just execute to the best of my ability and try to not get put on a T-shirt.
Q: How surreal is it knowing that you are competing in the WBC and playing against MLB stars and the best players in the world? Has that sunk in yet?
A: Baseball is quite incredible in the sense that anyone can win on any given day. Granted, it might take some miracles along with some performances that are career bests, but with that being said, the batter still has to hit the ball and the pitcher needs to throw a competitive pitch. I haven’t thought too much about who’s in the box our who’s on the mound. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ll definitely fan boy a little when I see some of the Japanese players.
Q: What were your expectations for yourself and for the Czechia team heading into the WBC?
A: Compete and leave it all on the field … try to get the job done, whatever it takes.
Q: Tell me about qualifying for the Czechia team. Did you get citizenship or what was the process there?
A: I actually only needed residency. I missed out on being eligible at the last WBC by only two weeks. So, had I gone to Czechia two weeks earlier, I would’ve been allowed to compete in that one. WBC is ran by MLB, as we all know, so they have different rules than Olympic and WBSC standards, so it’s much easier to play for certain countries.
Q: Last question: would Little League Ryan Johnson believe the place adult Ryan Johnson is in right now in terms of his baseball career?
A: Hahaha, veteran RJ still has a hard time believing that he’s here. I think Little League Ryan would be happy to know that he still loves what he does and that the game has paid off in terms of memories and experiences. I’m very rich with those, and I think that’s something I will be forever grateful for.
Q: Feel free to add any final comments about your journey here …
A: Thank you for reaching out. I want to thank Phil Curtis, the Weyburn Beavers, Home Run Sports, my family, my friends, Lubbock Christian University, the Czech Baseball Association and the Trebic Nuclears for supporting me throughout all these years and helping me grow in a fantastic atmosphere. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I’ve been without these amazing people and communities.
Tales of Baseball 