Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.). Photo: Twitter My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: -In a surprising move, the St. Louis Cardinals dismissed manager Mike Shildt on Thursday due to "philosophical differences." The Cardinals won 17 games in a row in September to secure the final National League Wild Card spot before the... Continue Reading →
The scene after George Bell clubbed a walk-off home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in their final game at Exhibition Stadium 32 years ago today. Photo: YouTube By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It was a dramatic and fitting end for the Toronto Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium. Thirty-two years ago today, on an... Continue Reading →
Dave Righetti made 13 appearances of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1994 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada When someone mentions Dave Righetti, you're more likely to remember him as a young left-hander with the New York Yankees who on July 4, 1983 became the first Bronx Bombers pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Don... Continue Reading →
One of Hank Aaron's Milwaukee Braves' teammates over the years was right-handed pitcher and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ron Piche (Verdun, Que.), shown on the left, with Aaron. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball's longtime home run king and one of its... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It was approaching the middle of May in the 1997 season and the Toronto Blue Jays' offence was sputtering. Joe Carter, in his final season with the club, had belted just two home runs in April. The club had resorted to using aging utility man Juan Samuel as a... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada No one would blame you if you don't remember any "Sweet Music" at the SkyDome in 1996. After all, the Toronto Blue Jays finished a dismal 74-88 that season and left-hander Frank Viola (nicknamed "Sweet Music") struggled in all but one of his six starts with the club. Yes,... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · To Toronto Blue Jays fans, it’s simply known as the “bat flip” and it happened three years ago today. The seventh inning of Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers was arguably the wildest and most exciting inning... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · If I’m a Canadian major leaguer, I’d consider wearing full body armor in the field these days. In the past two weeks, three Canadians, James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) and Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) have been hit with fast-moving baseballs... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Etobicoke, Ont., native Joey Votto reached two more statistical milestones this week. On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds slugger scored his 100th run of the season. This marks the fifth time he has tallied 100 runs in a major league season, tying him with... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Take a bow, Don McDougall. It was 41 years ago today that the American League approved the sale of the Toronto expansion franchise to the Labatt Brewing Co. for an estimated $7 million. Part of McDougall’s mandate as president during the mid-’70s was to secure... Continue Reading →