Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Dick Grapenthin pitched parts of three MLB season with the Expos. October 27, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada After completing his warm-up pitches, a nervous Dick Grapenthin peered in for the sign from future Hall of Famer Gary Carter. Standing in the batter’s box to face him was none other than Atlanta Braves... Continue Reading →
May 3, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Many of the biggest highlights of Gary Waslewski’s baseball career happened when he was pitching in Canada. In 1965 and 1966, he was a key pitcher for the International League’s Toronto Maple Leafs and helped them capture back-to-back championships. In the latter year, he won 18... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada After talking to Tom Bruno over the phone for an hour, you almost forget that he’s not Canadian. The easygoing Chicago native, who now resides in Pierre, South Dakota, has fished for walleye in Gravenhurst, Ont., trained hunting dogs in Saskatchewan and, most memorably for us baseball fans, toed... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada To say Bill Sampen had an unlikely big league career would be a massive understatement. The former Montreal Expos right-hander grew up in Emden, Ill., a tiny farming community (population 500) and attended an equally tiny high school (approximately 120 students) whose baseball team was managed by the basketball... Continue Reading →
Jeff DeWillis in spring training with the Blue Jays in 1986. Photo supplied. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jeff DeWillis dug into the batter’s box at Comiskey Park with two outs in the top of the fifth inning with the Toronto Blue Jays trailing the Chicago White Sox 3-2. One of his catching heroes,... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada The first "Boomer" Wells to play for the Toronto Blue Jays wasn't given much of an opportunity to excel with the club. And in hindsight, it's hard to understand why. In August 1981, when the 6-foot-5 slugger, whose birth name is Greg, was summoned to the big leagues for... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada There's nothing greater than a mother's love, but it doesn't hurt if she can also teach you how to throw a curveball. Former Montreal Expos right-hander Bill Atkinson can attest to this. It was his mother, Patricia, that not only showered him and his four sisters with love as... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Two numbers fuel the legend of Brian Milner in Toronto Blue Jays' lore: 18 and .444. At 18 years old (and 218 days), he remains the youngest player ever to suit up for the club. He accomplished this feat when he was the Blue Jays' starting catcher on June... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada In the first inning of his major league debut, a nervous 21-year-old Larry Landreth peered in for the sign from his catcher Gary Carter. Glowering back at him from the batter's box was reigning National League batting champion Bill Madlock - an intimidating right-handed hitter nicknamed "Mad Dog."... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada In college, he played third base and hit like Mike Schmidt, but as a pro, thanks to his golden arm and hard sinker, he pitched like Mike Timlin. But the fact that Bob File played in the major leagues at all is almost a miracle. Born in 1977 and... Continue Reading →