Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: In a Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup in which the two-through-seven hitters are pulling in a combined $86.1 million this season, it was their eighth and ninth batters, Kevin Pillar and Ezequiel Carrera, who are making just over $1 million between them, who came through in... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: I hope Toronto Blue Jays fans savored their opportunity to watch Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Clayton Kershaw make his first career start at Rogers Centre yesterday, even if he wasn’t at his most dominant. When all is said and done, Kershaw will be considered the... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Hall of Fame slugger Willie Stargell would’ve turned 76 today. The Pittsburgh Pirates legend walloped 475 home runs in 21 major league seasons and was particularly potent with the bat against the Expos in Montreal. On July 16, 1969, he became the first player... Continue Reading →
He’s the most versatile player ever to don a Montreal Expos uniform. During the 1970 season, Ron Brand, who was primarily a catcher, played every position except for pitcher and first base. “I believe I’m the only guy who’s ever caught 300 [major league] games and played all of those other positions more than once,”... Continue Reading →
He’s the answer to one of the more challenging Canadian baseball trivia questions. Who is the only person to be in a big league uniform for the first game at Exhibition Stadium and the first game at the SkyDome? The answer is Chuck Hartenstein, who was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen for... Continue Reading →
Canadian baseball fans are most likely to remember Jim Gosger for his tenure with the Montreal Expos, but it was his performance in Toronto 50 years ago that earned him his first major league starting assignment. Now a spirited, kind-hearted, 72-year-old living in Port Huron, Mich., Gosger has fond memories of his 1965 season with... Continue Reading →
"He doesn't just hit pitchers. He takes away their dignity." Don Sutton, on Willie Stargell's propensity for belting long home runs. That must have been how Montreal Expos southpaw Dan McGinn felt on July 16, 1969. With the Pittsburgh Pirates trailing 6-2 in the top of the eighth inning at Jarry Park, Stargell strolled... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Bill James, baseball's most influential statistician, ranks him as the greatest second baseman in major league history, and fans that watched Joe Morgan play at Jarry Park would probably agree. In 43 games at the old Montreal ballpark, the 5-foot-7, 160-pound second baseman clubbed seven homers and recorded a... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Tom was not "Terrific" in Toronto. Admittedly, Tom Seaver, whose dominance on the mound earned him the nickname "Tom Terrific," didn't pitch in Toronto until the tail end of his career, but the legendary hurler lost all three games he started at Exhibition Stadium and posted a 3.63 ERA.... Continue Reading →
He won four Cy Young Awards, was selected to 10 all-star games and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. But what you might not know about legendary left-hander Steve Carlton is that he started his professional baseball career in Canada. After he was signed as an... Continue Reading →