Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · It was 41 years ago today that the Toronto Blue Jays began assembling their first team via the 1976 Major League Baseball Expansion Draft. With their first pick, the Blue Jays selected Bob Bailor from the Baltimore Orioles. Bailor proceeded to bat .310 in... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · It’s been 83 years since there’s been a full-time Canadian manager in the major leagues. That was when London, Ont., native and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer George Gibson served as the dugout boss for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But that drought may end soon.... Continue Reading →
I recently joined the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). My membership paid immediate dividends when I appealed to members for information about Canada’s Mr. October, George Selkirk. Dubbed “Twinkletoes” for his distinct running style, Selkirk was arguably the greatest Canadian player of the first half of the 20th century. Suiting up alongside immortals like... Continue Reading →
It ranks as a mere footnote in the career of Tony Lazzeri, but the Hall of Fame second baseman enjoyed a 254-game stint with the International League’s Toronto Maple Leafs in 1939 and 1940. A valuable but overshadowed member of the storied 1927 Murderers’ Row Yankees, Lazzeri was a quiet leader, renowned for his baseball... Continue Reading →