April 26, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Hicks continues to be RBI machine
Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) drove in six more runs this week and now has 24 RBIs this season. That leaves him just five behind National League leader and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart.
Hicks is also tied with Atlanta Braves backstop Drake Baldwin for most RBIs by a major league catcher this season.
On top of his impressive RBI total, Hicks is batting .313 with a .530 slugging percentage in 26 games.
The Toronto Mets alum is in his second big league season.
Soroka continues to excel for D-Backs
On Thursday, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) continued his strong start to the season when he permitted just one run in five innings to the Chicago White Sox. He got a no-decision, but he lowered his season ERA to 2.60 ERA.
In five starts this season, Soroka is 4-0 with 34 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Those 34 strikeouts are tied for the seventh most in the National League.
The 28-year-old Calgary Redbirds grad is in his seventh major league season.
Sabrowski, Smith shut down Blue Jays
In the Cleveland Guardians’ 8-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, left-hander Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to register a hold before right-hander Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) retired the side in the ninth to collect a save.
This represented the first regular season game that the two Canadians hurlers recorded a hold and a save respectively against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The hold was Sabrowski’s American League-leading 10th of the season. Smith’s save was his sixth, which is tied for second in the AL, one behind the Yankees’ David Bednar.
It was also Smith’s first save in Canada against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
I should also note that Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) was catching Sabrowski and Smith on Friday.
Guerrero Jr. made his MLB debut seven years ago
It was seven years ago today that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) made his much anticipated MLB debut with the Blue Jays.
Batting fifth and playing third base, he went 1-for-4 in the Blue Jays’ 4-2 win over the Oakland A’s in front of 28,688 fans at Rogers Centre.
His first MLB hit was a double off Yusmeiro Petit in the ninth inning.
Brash still putting up zeroes
Seattle Mariners reliever Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) has yet to allow a run in his 12 appearances this season.
The M’s set-up man has surrendered just three hits, while striking out six, in 10 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .100 off him.
The M’s were cautious with the 27-year-old right-hander this spring after he experienced some mild inflammation in his throwing arm early in the off-season.
A Kingston Thunder grad, Brash is in his fourth campaign with the Mariners.
Guerrero Sr. hit 100th MLB homer 26 years ago
Twenty-six years ago today, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. belted his 100th career home run with the Montreal Expos.
It was a solo blast in the eighth inning off Julian Tavarez in the Expos’ 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies at Olympic Stadium.
Guerrero went on to hit 234 home runs as an Expo before signing with the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after the 2003 season.
Pop on 15-day injured list
The Philadelphia Phillies placed right-hander Zach Pop on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with a right-calf strain.
Pop (Brampton, Ont.), who had signed with the Phillies in December and cracked their Opening Day roster, had posted a 3.68 ERA in seven appearances in 7 1/3 innings before being sidelined
The 29-year-old right-hander split the 2025 season between four major league organizations – the Blue Jays, Mariners, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs – making just five big league appearances.
Chosen in the seventh round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Mets alum is in his sixth MLB season.
O’Neill activated from IL by Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles activated outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) from the seven-day injured list on Friday.
He had been out since April 9 with a concussion.
O’Neill returned to the O’s lineup on Saturday. Batting fifth and playing right field, he went 1-for-4 and scored the O’s sole run in their 17-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Langley Blaze and Junior National Team alum is 8-for-33 (.242 batting average) with a home run and four RBIs in 11 games for the O’s this season, his ninth as a big leaguer.
Emslie died 83 years ago
What pitcher holds the record for most major league wins in a season by a Canadian?
The answer is St. Thomas, Ont., native Bob Emslie, who won 32 games for the American Association’s Baltimore Orioles in 1884.
Emslie passed away 83 years ago today.
Emslie’s strong pitching arm began garnering attention while he was toiling for an amateur club in Harriston, Ont., that won a Canadian championship in 1880. But it was on a barnstorming tour of the U.S. with a semi-pro squad from St. Thomas that Emslie would catch his big professional baseball break. At the end of the tour, he inked a deal with a semi-pro club in Camden, N.J., and when that team disbanded, he was picked up by the American Association’s Orioles.
In Baltimore, the then 25-year-old right-hander would win 32 games in 1884, while tossing over 455 innings. Unfortunately, that season took its toll on his arm and he was out of the big leagues by the end of 1885.
Following his playing career, Emslie became one of the most respected National League umpires in MLB history, working games from 1891 to 1923.
A field in St. Thomas is named in his honour.
Hartman homers three times in a game
On Tuesday, centre fielder Eric Hartman (St. Albert, Alta.) belted three home runs, and had five hits in total, to lead the Atlanta Braves’ High-A Rome Emperors to a 15-6 win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
It was the first, three-home run game of Hartman’s pro career.
Batting third in the Emperors’ lineup, Hartman clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the first inning and added solo shots in the third and ninth innings.
The 19-year-old Canadian also had two singles, a walk, four runs and five RBIs in the contest.
Hartman now has seven home runs in 17 games this season. That home run total eclipses the five he hit in 90 games in his first pro season in 2025.
Selected in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft out of the Okotoks Dawgs Academy, Hartman has a .710 slugging percentage and 1.107 OPS this season. He also has eight stolen bases.
A Junior National Team alum, Hartman comes from an athletic family. His older brother, Max, also a Dawgs alum, is currently starring at Washington State University.
Twenty-nine years ago, Johnson recorded first MLB save
On this date 29 years ago, Mike Johnson (Edmonton, Alta.) earned his first MLB save with the Orioles.
He threw three scoreless innings in relief of O’s starter Jimmy Key against the Red Sox in the O’s 14-5 win at Camden Yards.
It was the third relief appearance of Johnson’s career.
Black called up by Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers recalled infielder Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) on Friday and batted him cleanup in his first contest with the big league club this season.
DHing for the Brewers, he went 0-for-3 in the Brewers’ 6-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes allowed just one hit in seven innings to earn the win.
Black then batted in the same spot on Saturday and went 2-for-5 with a double and a run in the Brewers’ 6-3 loss.
Prior to his call-up, Black was hitting .282 with a .378 on-base percentage in 10 games with the triple-A Nashville Sounds. He had two doubles, a home run and two stolen bases.
The left-handed hitting Canuck also spent the bulk of 2025 with the Sounds, where he had a .369 on-base percentage with four home runs and 22 stolen bases in 61 games. He also hit .250 with an RBI in five games with the big-league Brewers.
He made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2024. In 18 big league games that season, he went 10-for-49 with two doubles, three stolen bases and seven walks.
Chosen 33rd overall by the Brewers in the 2021 MLB draft, the Toronto Mets grad is in his sixth season in the Brewers’ organization.
Anniversary of Maranda’s MLB debut
Sixty-six years ago today, right-hander Georges Maranda (Levis, Que.) made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants.
With Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda in the field behind him, Maranda relieved Sam Jones with two outs in the first inning and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
He notched his first MLB strikeout in the bottom of the second inning when he fanned Cardinals shortstop Daryl Spencer.
The Cardinals won the game 4-2.
Trivia question
This week’s trivia question: Two players are tied for the most RBIs in an MLB season by a Canadian. Can you name them? Please share your answer in the “Comments” section below.
Last week’s trivia question answer
The answer to last week’s trivia question (One Toronto Blue Jays player narrowly missed becoming the first player to record 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season for the club. Who is he?) was Jose Canseco who had 46 home runs and 29 RBIs for the Blue Jays in 1998.
Thanks for by another Sunday morning Canadian baseball fix.
Would the answer to the trivia be Larry Walker or Justin Morneau?