Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.), shown here with the Canadian national team, has been reassigned to Toronto Blue Jays minor league camp. Photo: Baseball Canada March 31, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada The Toronto Blue Jays have reassigned INF/OF Otto Lopez to minor league camp. The 23-year-old, who spent part of his youth in... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada All Toronto Blue Jays fans know by now that American League Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray has departed for a lucrative five-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. They're also well aware that American League MVP finalist and Gold Glove Award winner Marcus Semien has exited for a seven-year... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Many longtime Canadian baseball fans can recall the Toronto Blue Jays defeating the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in snowy conditions at Exhibition Stadium on April 7, 1977 in their first regular season game, but how did the team fare in its first spring training contest? Well, that contest took... Continue Reading →
Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.), the Atlanta Braves' World Series-winning GM Official Canadian Baseball Network News Release Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been named the Most Influential Canadian in baseball by the Canadian Baseball Network (CBN). The Montreal native, who became the first Canadian-born general manager to be at the helm of a World... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Two former Toronto Blue Jays pitchers, a highly respected executive from the club's early years and a beloved coach died in 2021. As the end of the year approaches, let's take a moment to remember them. Elliott Wahle, the Toronto Blue Jays’ original administrator of player personnel, shown here... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Omar Malave, who spent more than three decades in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization as a player, coach and manager, passed away yesterday in Dunedin, Fla., at the age of 58. In a brave and heartbreaking post on Twitter, his daughter shared that her father ended his own life.... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jerry Johnson, who was the Toronto Blue Jays' winning pitcher in their first-ever game, passed away on Monday after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He was 77. His wife, Susan Trautmann Johnson, announced his death on her Facebook page this afternoon.... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Three players born in Canada were among the finalists for the 2021 Silver Slugger awards, announced by Louisville Slugger on Monday. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) and Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) are finalists at the first base position in the American League and National League respectively, while Tyler O’Neill... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Chuck Hartenstein, a relief pitcher on the 1977 Toronto Blue Jays, passed away on Saturday at the age of 79. The University of Texas Athletics department reported his death on their website on Tuesday. After major league tenures with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Less than 48 hours have passed since the Toronto Blue Jays were eliminated from postseason contention, but the sting of coming so close seems to have resided a little bit in many of the club's fans. Time - even one day - can put a 91-win season into better... Continue Reading →