Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
"He doesn't just hit pitchers. He takes away their dignity." Don Sutton, on Willie Stargell's propensity for belting long home runs. That must have been how Montreal Expos southpaw Dan McGinn felt on July 16, 1969. With the Pittsburgh Pirates trailing 6-2 in the top of the eighth inning at Jarry Park, Stargell strolled... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Whitey Herzog called Bruce Sutter the "Sandy Koufax of relievers," and on September 8, 1977, the Montreal Expos certainly felt the same way. Armed with his overpowering split-finger fastball, the bearded right-hander entered the game at Wrigley Field in the eighth inning with the Cubs and Expos deadlocked in... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Bill James, baseball's most influential statistician, ranks him as the greatest second baseman in major league history, and fans that watched Joe Morgan play at Jarry Park would probably agree. In 43 games at the old Montreal ballpark, the 5-foot-7, 160-pound second baseman clubbed seven homers and recorded a... Continue Reading →
It was Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Terry Puhl that saved Nolan Ryan's fifth no-hitter. Manning right field for the Houston Astros, the Melville, Sask., native took off after a deep fly ball that Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia clubbed to right-centre off of Ryan in the top of the seventh inning at the... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Tom was not "Terrific" in Toronto. Admittedly, Tom Seaver, whose dominance on the mound earned him the nickname "Tom Terrific," didn't pitch in Toronto until the tail end of his career, but the legendary hurler lost all three games he started at Exhibition Stadium and posted a 3.63 ERA.... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada George Brett was a Blue Jay killer. Any longtime Toronto Blue Jays fan is likely to tell you that. And of the seemingly countless games in which the Hall of Fame third baseman teed off on Blue Jays' pitching, Game 3 of the 1985 American League Championship Series (ALCS)... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Longtime Montreal Expos fans won't be surprised to learn that Mike Schmidt belted his first major league home run against their beloved club. To many of them, it seemed like the Phillies star never stopped hitting home runs off of Expos hurlers during his Hall of Fame career. With... Continue Reading →
The consensus among Blue Jays fans is that Frank Thomas's tenure in Toronto was a disaster. The Big Hurt was 38 years old when he inked a two-year, $18.12-million deal with the Blue Jays on November 18, 2006. It's a contract that many Jays supporters rank as one of the worst in franchise history. But... Continue Reading →
[twitter-follow screen_name='coopincanada'] When long-time Toronto Blue Jays fans talk about Tom Glavine, the first game they're likely to mention is Game 1 of the 1992 World Series. With the Blue Jays competing in the Fall Classic for the first time, the excitement surrounding the team had reached unparalleled heights. However, Canadian baseball fans were temporarily... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Greg Maddux and Canadian baseball legend Fergie Jenkins have a lot in common. Both were right-handed pitchers who won Cy Young Awards with the Chicago Cubs and both are members of the exclusive 3,000-strikeout club. Both also did the No. 31 proud at Wrigley Field - so much so... Continue Reading →
