Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Ron Johnson, shown here with the Montreal Expos' triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 1984, has died of complications from COVID-19. He was 64 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Ron Johnson, who played five games with the Montreal Expos in 1984, passed away from complications from COVID-19 in Morrison, Tenn., on Tuesday at the age of... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos pitcher Derek Aucoin was awarded the Quebec Medallion of the National Assembly on Tuesday. The Lachine, Que., native, who's one of Canada's greatest baseball ambassadors, was presented with the honour by Quebec's minister of economy and innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in a video conference ceremony. The award... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos hitting coach Billy DeMars passed away on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla., at the age of 95. DeMars was the popular hitting coach of the Expos from 1982 to 1984. He also served as the club's third base coach in 1982 and 1983. Born in Brooklyn in... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My regular roundup of former Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos news: – The National Baseball Hall of Fame released their 2021 ballot on November 16. There are 25 notable ex-players on the ballot, including seven former Blue Jays. Four ex-Jays - Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Scott Rolen and... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada One of the benefits of spending a lot of time reading old stories about the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos is that I've stumbled across a number of fascinating long-forgotten photos. Here are two highlights from this week's research: Tony Kubek in a Toronto Blue Jays' uniform? Most... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos right-hander Hal Dues passed away on October 20 at the age of 66. Longtime Expos photographer Russ Hansen was the first in Canada to report the news when he shared it on his Facebook page. Dues died in his hometown of Dickinson, Texas. No cause of... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Here's my weekly roundup of former Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos news: - On Friday, the Chicago White Sox declined their $12-million option on Edwin Encarnacion for next season, making the former Blue Jays slugger a free agent. Encarnacion, who clubbed 239 of his 424 big league home... Continue Reading →
He’s the most versatile player ever to don a Montreal Expos uniform. During the 1970 season, Ron Brand, who was primarily a catcher, played every position except for pitcher and first base.
Canadian baseball fans are most likely to remember Jim Gosger for his tenure with the Montreal Expos, but it was his performance in Toronto 50 years ago that earned him his first major league starting assignment. Now a spirited, kind-hearted, 72-year-old living in Port Huron, Mich., Gosger has fond memories of his 1965 season with... Continue Reading →
Steve Shea, a reliever on the Montreal Expos first team, passed away on March 4 in North Hampton, N.H., at the age of 72. A cause of death was not released, but a comment below his online obituary suggests that it was not unexpected. The right-handed throwing Shea was purchased by the Expos from the... Continue Reading →