But What Do I Know? . . . Jordan Romano, Cade Smith, Liam Hicks, Michael Soroka, Larry Walker, Tim Raines, Pat Gillick

August 16, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

Romano moves into tie for third on Canadian MLB saves list

As noted by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Colorado Rockies closer Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) collected his 125th major league save on Wednesday when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a Rockies’ 6-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That save moved Romano into a tie with longtime Detroit Tigers reliever John Hiller (Toronto, Ont.) for the third-most by a Canadian. Only Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que.) with 187 saves and John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) with 144 rank higher.

Since joining the Rockies on July 4, Romano has eight saves in nine opportunities and owns a 3.09 ERA in 12 games.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander started the season with the Los Angeles Angels but he was released on April 27 after posting a 10.13 ERA in 11 appearances.

The 33-year-old Junior National Team grad is in his eighth major league season. His first 105 saves came as a member of the Blue Jays between 2019 and 2024.

Smith continues dominance for Guardians

Speaking of Canadian closers, Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) continues to excel in the late innings for the Cleveland Guardians.

In his last 15 appearances, he is 1-0 with a 0.55 ERA with five saves and 20 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.

His 31 saves this season are the second-most in the majors behind only Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker who has 34.

Overall in 2026, Smith has a 3-1 record and a 2.30 ERA in 51 appearances. He has struck out 77 batters in 54 2/3 innings and has made himself an early favourite to win the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award, as top Canadian player.

Hicks swinging hot bat for Rays

And speaking of Tip O’Neill Award candidates, Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) belted a three-run home run and added a single and a double for the Rays in their 8-4 win over the Athletics on Wednesday.

Hicks possesses a .300/.465/.600 slash line with two home runs and nine RBIs in 10 games with the Rays since being acquired from the Miami Marlins on Aug. 3.

For the season, the Toronto Mets grad has 16 home runs and 71 RBIs.

So, what’s record for most home runs and RBIs by a Canadian catcher in an MLB season?

They’re both held by Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.). Martin had 23 home runs in 2015 and 87 RBIs in 2007.

And yes, I realize Hicks has also played first base and DH this season, so if he does break Martin’s record, I suppose we will have to apply an asterisk.

Soroka activated by D-Backs

After being activated from the 15-day injured list on Monday, Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) started and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their 9-0 win over the Rockies at Chase Field.

Soroka allowed three hits and struck out four in his first start since being sidelined with a glute strain on June 20. He threw 47 of his 77 pitches for strikes.

Soroka’s performance lowered his ERA to 2.92 this season. He is 8-3 and has fanned 83 batters in 86 1/3 innings. Keeping the Canuck righty healthy will be a priority for the D-Backs who currently hold the second Wild-Card spot in the National League.

The 28-year-old Calgary Redbirds and Junior National Team grad is in his seventh major league campaign.

He is scheduled to start again today for the D-Backs.

Bratt shines again for D-Backs

It was back-to-back Canadian starting pitchers for the Diamondbacks this week.

After Soroka started on Monday, it was left-hander Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) who got the ball on Tuesday and he didn’t disappoint. The Canuck southpaw allowed just two earned runs on four hits in six innings but received a no-decision when the D-Backs lost 3-2 to the Rockies.

Bratt, who permitted just one hit in seven scoreless innings in his previous start, has solidified his spot in the D-Backs’ rotation. In seven starts, he is 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA and has 25 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.

Before he was promoted to the big league club for the second time this year on July 12, the 23-year-old Toronto Mets and Junior National Team grad had been excellent for the D-Backs’ triple-A Reno Aces, posting a 2.41 ERA in 13 starts,

Walker made MLB debut 37 years ago

Thirty-seven years ago today, Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was playing in his first major league game and his opponents were already pitching to him like he was Babe Ruth.

At least, that’s what San Francisco Giants first baseman Will Clark told a 22-year-old Walker after he walked for a second time in his big league debut with the Montreal Expos in front of 24,719 fans at Olympic Stadium.

While the Expos had high hopes for Walker, they certainly didn’t expect him to hit like Ruth. But Walker did make his MLB debut on the 41st anniversary of the Bambino’s death and the Yankees legend did wear No. 3 – a digit that Walker was fiercely loyal to. The Maple Ridge, B.C., native wore No. 33, swung the bat three times in the on-deck circle before walking to the plate, would schedule wake-up calls for 33 minutes after the hour and even microwaved his food in increments of 33. So, it was fitting that Walker would walk three times in his first big league contest. He also added a single off Giants starter Mike LaCoss in the seventh inning.

Most importantly for his team, Walker tallied the final run in the Expos’ three-run, eighth-inning in their 4-2, come-from-behind victory.

Walker started in right field and batted sixth behind fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers Tim Raines and Tim Wallach in his debut.

That game turned out to be his only three-walk performance with the Expos that season, and it was one of 30 in his 17-year big league career.

When he suited up for the Expos that game, Walker became the fifth Canadian to play for the club. Claude Raymond (St. Jean, Que.), Bill Atkinson (Chatham, Ont.), Larry Landreth (Stratford, Ont.) and Doug Frobel (Ottawa, Ont.) played for the Expos prior to Walker.

Happy Birthday to Rob Thomson!

Happy 63rd Birthday to former Philadelphia Phillies manager and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rob Thomson!

Born in Sarnia, Ont., Thomson grew up in nearby Corunna. A standout player for the Intercounty League’s Stratford Hillers in the early ’80s, Thomson was part of the Canadian squad that competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when baseball was a demonstration sport. The following year, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 32nd round of MLB draft.

The Canuck catcher/third baseman advanced as high as the class-A level before shifting his focus to coaching in 1988. He served as a minor league coach in the Tigers system for two seasons before joining the New York Yankees in 1990. Over the next 28 seasons, Thomson evolved into one of the most respected coaches in the professional ranks.

From 2009 to 2014, Thomson was the Yankees’ third base coach, and he played an important role on the Bombers’ 2009 World-Series-winning club. He also served two tenures as the club’s bench coach and secured five World Series rings during his lengthy tenure with the franchise.

In December 2017, Thomson was hired by the Phillies to be their bench coach and on June 4, 2022 he was named the Phillies manager. With that, he became the first full-time Canadian big league manager since George Gibson (London, Ont.) with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934.

After becoming the Phillies’ skipper, Thomson led the team to four straight postseason appearances. He piloted the Phillies to a National League pennant in 2022 and a National League Championship Series berth in 2023. He then guided the Phillies to back-to-back division titles in 2024 and 2025.

Another solid start for Rangers’ Quantrill

Texas Rangers right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out six, in five innings in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for him, the bullpen coughed up three runs in the sixth and the Rangers lost 5-2.

It was the third consecutive start in which Quantrill has pitched at least five innings and surrendered just one earned run.

Quantrill has done a superb job as a swingman for the Rangers this season. In 25 appearances (eight starts), he has a 3.44 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings.

The Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team alum is in his eighth MLB season.

50th anniversary of Gillick coming to Blue Jays

Today represents the 50th anniversary of one of the most important days in Blue Jays’ history.

It was on this date in 1976 that Pat Gillick left his position as coordinator of player development with the Yankees to become the Blue Jays’ vice-president of player personnel.

In his 18 years in Toronto, Gillick transformed an expansion club into World Series champions. With Gillick as GM, the Blue Jays recorded 11 consecutive winning seasons (1983 to 1993), captured five division titles (1985, 1989, 1991-93) and won two World Championships (1992, 1993). For his efforts, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

After his departure from the Blue Jays, Gillick led three more franchises to post-season appearances: Baltimore (1996-97), Seattle (2000-01) and Philadelphia (2007-08). He’s the only GM in major league history to guide four different clubs to the playoffs. When the Phillies won the Fall Classic in 2008, Gillick added a third championship to his resume. Three years later, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Remembering Raines hitting for the cycle

Thirty-nine years ago today, Tim Raines hit for the cycle when he went 5-for-5 to lead the Expos to a 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Olympic Stadium.

Raines, who also scored four runs, tripled in the first, doubled in the third and seventh and singled in the fifth, before he belted a home run to complete the cycle in the bottom of the eighth.

With this, he became the third Expos player to hit for the cycle after Tim Foli (April 21, 1976) and Chris Speier (July 20, 1978).

Vancouver Canadians’ Drees’ tossed third no-hitter 37 years ago

It was 37 years ago today that left-hander Tom Drees pitched his third no-hitter of the season for the Chicago White Sox triple-A Vancouver Canadians in a 5-0 win over the Las Vegas Stars.

Earlier in the season, Drees had hurled no-hitters in back-to-back starts against the Calgary Cannons (May 23) and the Edmonton Trappers (May 28).

Despite tossing three no-hitters and finishing the season with a 12-11 record and a 3.37 ERA in 26 starts for the Canadians, Drees was not called up by the White Sox that September. He wouldn’t make his big league debut until 1991 when he made four relief appearances with the White Sox.

Trivia question

This week’s trivia question:  On top of the aforementioned Foli, Speier and Raines, three other Montreal Expos players hit for the cycle. Can you name one of them? Please share your answer in the “Comments” section below.

Last week’s trivia question answer

The answer to last week’s trivia question (Over the years, three different Toronto Blue Jays players have led the American League in hits in a season? Name one of them.) was any one of Paul Molitor (211 in 1993), Vernon Wells (215 in 2003) or Bo Bichette (191 in 2021 and 189 in 2022).