Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Forty-seven years ago, Toronto-born Barry Cort registered his only major league win and tossed his only complete game for the Milwaukee Brewers against the Toronto Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium.
It seems fitting that, Fergie Jenkins, the greatest Canadian pitcher, was the first to toss a shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays. He did it 47 years ago today.
Happy Canada Day! Let's celebrate with a hodge podge of Canada Day baseball facts that I've gathered over the years.
My weekly Canadian baseball news "But What Do I Know?" column discusses Michael Soroka, Edouard Julien and George Bell.
Babe Ruth, who hit his only regular season minor league home run in Toronto, was born on this date in 1895. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Some Canadian baseball news and notes: -Congratulations again to former Colorado Rockies ace and London, Ont., resident Jeff Francis who was elected... 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 He played in the long shadow of Johnny Bench and then Gary Carter and Carlton Fisk. And somewhere along the way, baseball fans and writers forgot just how good Ted Simmons was. But the eight-time All-Star catcher is finally getting his due. On Wednesday, he'll be inducted into the... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Most longtime Toronto Blue Jays fans can tell you that Bill Singer threw the first regular season pitch in the franchise's history on that snowy day at Exhibition Stadium on April 7, 1977. But who caught that first pitch? The answer is Rick Cerone, who turns 67 today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoyXVG2Xc6E... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jesse Jefferson, a workhorse starting pitcher on the early Toronto Blue Jays teams, would've turned 72 today. The underrated right-hander, who hailed from Midlothian, Va., passed away in 2011 after a courageous battle with prostate cancer. He was just 62. Selected by the Blue Jays from the Chicago White... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Who's the first former Toronto Blue Jays player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? That's a question that often stumps Canadian baseball fans. And you can be forgiven if you don't remember Phil Niekro - who's the answer to the question - making three starts... Continue Reading →