Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
June 30, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It could be called Canada’s first junior national team, and Bob Davisson, then a naïve, 16-year-old left-hander from Oakbank, Man., was part of it. He recently contacted Baseball Canada to reminisce about that trailblazing squad of 14 teenagers, selected from four provinces, that travelled to Cuba... Continue Reading →
May 28, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Montreal native Russell Martin is set to officially announce his retirement. The veteran catcher, who hasn’t played a big league game since 2019, told Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre during an interview for their La Poche bleue podcast that he’ll make the formal announcement on social... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada When left-hander Jeff Francis and slugger Justin Morneau played together on the North Delta Blue Jays in grades 11 and 12, it was Francis who was the team’s cleanup hitter. “I'm going to take that right to the Hall of Fame,” joked Francis, the former Colorado Rockies ace who... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Left-hander James Paxton will sign with the Boston Red Sox, as first reported on Wednesday by Sportsnet’s Chad Dey. Chris Cotillo, Red Sox beat writer for MassLive.com, shares that the contract is a one-year deal that includes team options for 2023 and 2024. Details are here: Paxton (Ladner, B.C.)... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Langley Blaze and Junior National Team graduate Tyler O’Neill has been named a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award for left fielders. Rawlings announced its Gold Glove Award finalists on Thursday. O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) won the Gold Glove Award for National League left fielders last year... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – In case you haven't heard, Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) has tested positive for COVID-19 and has left the Cincinnati Reds training camp. The Reds shared the news on Wednesday. The Canadian slugger had gone 4-for-9 in four Grapefruit... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Longtime big league pitcher and Cap-Pele, N.B., native Rheal Cormier, who was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, has passed away at the age of 53 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rheal Cormier,” said Scott... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · What team had the most hits in an inning off Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) this spring? The answer is the Canadian Junior National Team (JNT), a squad he once honed his skills with. Ontario Blue Jays outfielder David Calabrese (Maple,... Continue Reading →
December 4, 2019 Official Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Press Release St. Marys, Ont. – Calgary native Mike Soroka has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2019 Tip O’Neill Award. Canada’s baseball shrine presents this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · After consulting with my friends at Alberta Dugout Stories (@ABDugoutStories) and with Alberta baseball expert Ruben Lipszyc, I believe I can safely say that when Calgary native Mike Soroka started against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday that he became the first pitcher born... Continue Reading →