Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
When Glenn Mickens raved to a baseball acquaintance about a promising, young outfielder that was playing behind him on the 1954 Montreal Royals, he may have inadvertently inspired a transaction that would change Pittsburgh Pirates history. “Ironically, one of the other scouts that helped sign me, Howie Haak, was now with the Pirates and came... Continue Reading →
He lost his big league job to Duke Snider and had to compete for playing time with Roberto Clemente, but Dick Whitman still managed to forge out a 13-year career in professional baseball. Born in Woodburn, Ore., in 1920, Whitman played for the semi-pro Silverton Red Sox alongside future big leaguers Johnny Pesky and Joe... Continue Reading →
He pitched two scoreless innings in the 1952 World Series against the powerhouse New York Yankees and in parts of five major league seasons in total, but Ken Lehman experienced his greatest success on the diamond in Montreal. In three seasons with the Montreal Royals from 1953 to 1955, the six-foot left-hander won a Junior... Continue Reading →
It was Jackie Robinson who reportedly encouraged the Brooklyn Dodgers to sign Bobby Wilson out of the Negro Leagues. And when No. 42 spoke, the Dodgers listened, especially after his 1949 season in which he won the National League batting title and was named league MVP. Born in 1925 in Dallas, Texas, Wilson proved to... Continue Reading →
[twitter-follow screen_name='coopincanada'] My weekly observations about stories around the baseball world from a Canadian perspective: - Congratulations to former big league pitchers Jason Dickson (Chatham, N.B.) and Rheal Cormier (Cap-Pele, N.B.) on their election to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. The two Maritime moundsmen will be inducted in a ceremony in St. Stephen,... Continue Reading →
From ace starter in Montreal to World Series-winning closer in Brooklyn, Ed Roebuck certainly proved his versatility on the mound in the mid-1950s. After tying for the team lead in wins (18) with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1954, Roebuck made the big league Dodgers as a reliever the following spring. Brooklyn bench boss Walter... Continue Reading →
When Glenn Cox debuted with the Montreal Royals in the spring of 1951, the first batter he faced was Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers' Triple-A Royals were battling their big league peers in an exhibition game, and as Robinson dug into the batter's box, Cox, then a raw, 20-year-old right-hander, stared in for a sign from... Continue Reading →
Who was the first player to walk to the plate in a major league game on the West Coast? The answer is Gino Cimoli, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound San Francisco native who was selected to bat leadoff for the Dodgers in their first regular season contest representing the city of Los Angeles. With his friends and... Continue Reading →
*This is part of my ongoing series of articles about members of the 1954 Montreal Royals. While manning left field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Don Thompson threw out New York Yankees second baseman Billy Martin to end Game 4 of the 1953 World Series. But while this toss was one of the highlights of Thompson's... Continue Reading →
