Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
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 →
How big of a deal was it when Toronto Blue Jays slugger George Bell belted three home runs on Opening Day in 1988? Well, the feat was celebrated on the first card (above front and back) of the 792-card Topps set the following year. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It’s the most dominant Opening... 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 →
My weekly observations about stories around the baseball world from a Canadian perspective (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): - Today seems like an appropriate day to remember “Luscious Luke” Easter, a hulking, six-foot-four, 240-pound slugger who became the 11th African-American to compete in the big leagues when he debuted with the Cleveland Indians on... Continue Reading →
It's the most dominant Opening Day performance in Toronto Blue Jays history. On April 4, 1988, George Bell unleashed his frustrations and fury on Bret Saberhagen at Royals Stadium in Kansas City to become the first big leaguer to belt three home runs on Opening Day. Almost as newsworthy was that the spirited slugger's power... Continue Reading →
