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October 4, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Hicks makes postseason debut
It was a memorable MLB postseason debut for Tampa Bay Rays catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees last night.
Not only did Hicks almost catch a no-hitter, he also had a double and a walk in the Rays’ 1-0 victory at Tropicana Field.
The 27-year-old catcher called the pitches for right-hander Drew Rasmussen who had a no-hitter with two outs in the eighth inning before Yankees catcher Austin Wells doubled.
Batting cleanup for the Rays, Hicks hit a double in the third inning and walked in the eighth.
The Toronto Mets alum is the first Canadian to play for the Rays in the postseason.
The Rays acquired Hicks from the Miami Marlins on Aug. 3, and he has been a key part of their offence ever since. In 41 regular season games with the Rays, he had a .288/.379/.440 slash line with four home runs and 20 RBIs.
In total, Hicks, who also played for Canada in the World Baseball Classic, batted .284 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs in 142 regular season games between the Marlins and Rays in 2026.
Smith sets record for most postseason appearances by Canadian pitcher
When Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Cleveland Guardians’ 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) yesterday afternoon, it was his 13th postseason appearance.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame pointed out that this moves Smith past right-hander John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) for the most career appearances by a Canadian pitcher in the postseason.
Smith posted a 3.60 in nine postseason games for the Guardians in 2024 and he appeared in three more playoff games last season. He is a combined 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings in postseason action.
The Guardians and White Sox have today off before resuming their series tomorrow at 5 p.m. E.T.
Healthy Pivetta key to Padres’ postseason hopes
If the San Diego Padres are going to make a deep postseason run, they will need right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) to be healthy and at the top of his game.
And so far, so good.
On Wednesday, Pivetta started Game 2 of the Padres’ Wild-Card series against the Chicago Cubs and allowed just one run, while striking out four, in 3 1/3 innings in the Padres’ 4-1 win.
The 6-foot-5 Canuck will likely start Game 3 of the Padres’ National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
As Zach Worden, of Sportsnet, noted on X, Pivetta is the all-time leader among Canadian MLB pitchers in postseason innings pitched (22) and strikeouts (27).
In four regular season starts after being activated from the 60-day injured list on September 7, Pivetta went 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA, with 19 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. He had been sidelined since April 14 with right elbow inflammation.
The Victoria Eagles and Junior National Team grad is in his 10th major league season. In 2021, he made three postseason appearances (one start) to help the Boston Red Sox advance to the American League Championship Series. Last season, he started Game 1 against the Cubs in the Wild Card Series and was saddled with the loss, despite permitting just two runs in five innings.
Peters makes some Manitoba baseball history
Canadian baseball historian Tyler Partridge noted on X that when White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) singled in the top of the fifth inning in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, he became the first Manitoban to record a postseason hit since Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) had two for the Minnesota Twins in Game 3 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees on October 8, 2004.
It should also be noted that Peters is the first Canadian to play for the White Sox in the playoffs since right-hander Kirk McCaskill (Kapuskasing, Ont.) made three scoreless relief appearances for the Sox in the 1993 ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Peters is now patrolling the outfield for the White Sox in their Division Series against the Guardians. In Game 1, he pinch-hit for left fielder Randal Grichuk in the top of the sixth inning and singled. He is now 3-for-9 this postseason and has a hit in his first three playoff games.
The White Sox couldn’t have predicted how good Peters would be in his first full big league season after they purchased him from the Rays on December 18. Peters had a reputation as an excellent fielder, but the Okotoks Dawgs grad quickly showed he could also handle himself at the plate. He finished the regular season with a .265/.337/.437 slash line with 12 home runs, 31 doubles, four triples and eight stolen bases.
Robinson played final game for Montreal Royals 80 years ago today
Eighty years ago today, in his last game for the Montreal Royals, Jackie Robinson helped his club to a 2-0 win over Louisville Colonels at Delorimier Stadium to secure the Royals’ first Junior World Series title.
After Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey signed Robinson on October 23, 1945 to break baseball’s modern color barrier, he assigned Robinson to the triple-A Royals in 1946. Rickey chose Montreal because it had a reputation as a culturally accepting city and Rickey wanted Robinson to play his home games in a peaceful environment.
Robinson proceeded to hit .349 and lead the Royals to a 100-54 regular season record and to unprecedented postseason glory.
Along the way, Robinson captured the hearts of Montrealers. After the Royals clinched the championship at Delormier Stadium, 80 years ago today, the fans chanted Robinson’s name, urging him to return to the field one last time. Robinson reluctantly agreed and the fans, who had rushed on to the field, hugged and kissed him. Robinson tried to explain to them that he had a plane to catch, but the fans wouldn’t let him out of their grasp.
“Finally Jackie was able to burst free,” writes Roger Kahn, in his 2014 book, Rickey & Robinson. “He ran through an exit and down a street to a car that would carry him off. The crowd ran after him, shouting and cheering breathlessly.”
As Robinson was running, he began to cry.
“I’ll tell you what made me cry,” Robinson would later tell Kahn. “I realized here was a big white crowd chasing after a lone Negro, not with lynching in their hearts, but love.”
Young improving, but still feeling effects of concussion
New York Mets first baseman Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.) told MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo that he’s still feeling the effects of the concussion he suffered in the sixth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 17.
On top of the headaches, he told DiComo he also has a stiff neck (due to whiplash) and hearing issues.
The collision occurred with one out in the sixth inning when Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford hit a slow roller to first base. There was some confusion between Young and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean about who was going to field the ball. As Young knelt down to field it, McLean sprinted towards first and his knee hit Young directly in the head and knocked him unconscious.
Young did regain consciousness on the field and was able to move his arms and legs before being carted off on a stretcher. The 30-year-old first baseman remembers nothing about the collision.
Young is now at his home in Phoenix, Ariz. He goes for walks, stretches and practices yoga, reports DiComo. He also spends time reading books and doing crossword puzzles but he limits his screen time.
The Canadian slugger, who batted .266 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 103 games for the Mets this season, hopes to be ready for spring training.
10 years ago, Encarnacion belted walk-off, Wild-Card game winning HR
It was 10 years ago today that Edwin Encarnacion belted a walk-off, three-run home run off Ubaldo Jimenez in the bottom of the 11th inning to propel the Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card game.
Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson were on base in front of Encarnacion.
Soroka would like to return to Diamondbacks
Right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) told reporters that he’d like to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks next season.
Playing on a one-year, $7.5-million contract in 2026, Soroka went 9-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) and had 114 strikeouts in 116 innings for the D-Backs. That performance should earn him a multi-year deal and a significant raise.
It was Soroka’s best season since his rookie campaign in 2019 when he finished 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts.
In all, Soroka has pitched in parts of seven major league seasons. In 113 games (90 starts), he owns a 29-31 record and a 3.76 ERA. He has struck out 493 batters in 531 2/3 innings.
Happy Birthday to Bill Atkinson!
Happy 72nd Birthday to former Montreal Expos pitcher Bill Atkinson!
Born in Chatham, Ont., Atkinson was signed as an amateur free agent by the Expos on October 4, 1971. The 5-foot-7 right-hander made his MLB debut with the club on September 18, 1976 and tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
Armed with a curveball that Gary Carter once called the best he ever caught, Atkinson was one of the National League’s best rookie relievers in 1977 when he went 7-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 55 appearances.
In total, Atkinson toed the rubber for parts of four seasons for the Expos and completed his career with an 11-4 record and a 3.42 ERA in 98 games.
Anniversary of Quantrill’s first MLB save
Thirty four years ago today, right-hander Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) recorded his first major league save.
Relieving left-handed starter Joe Hesketh in the sixth inning for the Red Sox, Quantrill threw four scoreless innings against the Yankees to secure an 8-2 win for his club at Fenway Park. Quantrill permitted just one hit and struck out two batters.
It was his first of 21 big league saves.
Nicholson to be inducted into Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame
Former San Diego Padres infielder Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, B.C.) has been elected to the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made on Thursday.
The Cape Cod Baseball League is an elite summer collegiate circuit that’s widely recognized as the best of its kind.
In 1996, Nicholson batted .316 with three home runs and 23 RBIs for the Wareham Gatemen in the circuit. He also topped the league with 18 doubles, which remains the second-most in a season in league history.
Nicholson’s summer tenure in the Cape Cod League came after a strong spring at Stetson University where he was a standout switch-hitting shortstop. Following his summer in the Cape, he returned to Stetson and was named Conference Player of the Year the ensuing spring.
In June 1997, he was selected 27th overall by the Padres in the MLB draft. He’d play 37 games with the Padres in 2000.
Nicholson also competed for the Canadian national team on several occasions, including at the 2004 Olympics, where he almost hit a game-tying three-run home run in the semi-finals against Cuba.
Nicholson is now a head coach and director of player development for the Abbotsford Cardinals.
He will be inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame in a ceremony on November 15 at the Wequassett Resort in Harwich, Mass.
11 years ago, Francis pitched final MLB game
It was 11 years ago today that left-hander Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) pitched in his final big league game when he threw a scoreless ninth inning in relief for the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field in the club’s 12-3 loss to the Rays. The last big league hitter Francis faced was Mikie Mahtook who flied out to right field.
25th anniversary of Raines and Raines Jr. playing together
Twenty-five years ago today, Tim Raines played in the Baltimore Orioles outfield alongside his son Tim Raines Jr. in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Montreal Expos made this possible by dealing the elder Raines to the O’s the previous day. The younger Raines started in centre field and led off for the O’s and went 1-for-4 with a run and, to his father’s delight, had two stolen bases. The senior Raines, who started in left field, batted sixth and went 0-for-4 but had an RBI ground out in the ninth in the Orioles’ 5-4 loss.
In suiting up together, they became the second father/son duo to play in the same game for the same team, joining the Griffeys who played together with the Seattle Mariners multiple times in 1990 and 1991.
Naylor not on Brewers’ NLDS roster
Catcher Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) is not on the Brewers’ National League Division Series roster.
Not surprisingly, the Brewers have opted to go with veteran catchers William Contreras and Gary Sanchez behind the dish in their series against the Padres.
The Brewers added Naylor in a trade with the Guardians on August 1. The 26-year-old catcher played with the Brewers’ triple-A Nashville Sounds in August before being called up and going 2-for-7 in three games with the Brewers in September.
Naylor had been the Guardians’ regular catcher in 2024 and 2025, but after an early season slump this season he was demoted to triple-A.
An Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team graduate, Naylor was selected in the first round of the MLB draft by the Guardians in 2018. He has played parts of five MLB seasons.
Taylor recorded save in first NLCS game 57 years ago
Fifty-seven years ago today, Ron Taylor (Toronto, Ont.) recorded a save for the New York Mets in the first National League Championship Series game ever played.
He pitched the final two innings in the Mets’ 9-5 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Prior to 1969, the top teams from the AL and NL went straight to the World Series.
Trivia question
This week’s trivia question: Who was the first pitcher born in Canada to start a World Series game? Please share your answer in the “Comments” section below.
Last week’s trivia question answer
The answer to last week’s trivia question (Aside from Jack Morris, there have been five other pitchers that have recorded 20 wins in a season for the Blue Jays. Can you name two of them?) was any two of Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Roy Halladay or J.A. Happ.
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