Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
They had their differences, but Ernie Whitt has come to appreciate how difficult Roy Hartsfield’s job was during the Toronto Blue Jays’ formative years. Hartsfield, who managed the Blue Jays for their first three seasons, passed away on Saturday at the age of 85. “Roy was put into a situation where you knew that you... Continue Reading →
The snow blanketing the field for the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural game on April 7, 1977, must have been a shock for Roy Hartsfield, the team’s first skipper who had managed the Padres’ Triple-A club in Hawaii for the previous four seasons. But a little snow wasn’t about to cool Hartsfield’s excitement. After 15 seasons... Continue Reading →
Mike Gardiner will always be thankful for the 15 days in 1994 that Sparky Anderson made him a big league closer. With ninth-inning fixture Mike Henneman on the disabled list, the Tigers venerable manager called the Sarnia, Ont., native into his office to tell him he would be the interim closer. “Sparky told me not... Continue Reading →
He was one-half of what many consider to be the best pitching duo in big league history. Hurling alongside Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale amassed 209 wins and regularly led the National League in hit batsmen during his 14 big league seasons. But while intimidation was a key part of his game, the fiery 6-foot-6 right-hander’s... Continue Reading →