Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jerry Johnson, who was the Toronto Blue Jays' winning pitcher in their first-ever game, passed away on Monday after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He was 77. His wife, Susan Trautmann Johnson, announced his death on her Facebook page this afternoon.... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: -Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) belted his 300th major league home run on Friday. It was a two-run shot in the third inning off Chicago Cubs' right-hander Jake Arrieta in the Reds' 8-6 win at the... Continue Reading →
You probably know that John Olerud played with the Mets from 1997 to 1999, but did you know that he was draft by the Mets in 1986? By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Last week, while listening to former big leaguer Bret Boone interview John Olerud for his podcast, I learned that Olerud was originally... 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 →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly roundup of former Toronto Blue Jays news and notes: Player Signings (Some of these transactions date back to December.) -RHP Chase De Jong (Blue Jays' 2012 second-round pick) signs a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. -INF/OF Brandon Drury signs a minor league deal with the... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos hitting coach Billy DeMars passed away on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla., at the age of 95. DeMars was the popular hitting coach of the Expos from 1982 to 1984. He also served as the club's third base coach in 1982 and 1983. Born in Brooklyn in... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Denis Menke passed away on December 1 at the age of 80. His death was reported on Monday on an Iowa radio station that's located close to Menke's hometown of Bancroft, Iowa. No cause of death was reported, but Menke passed away... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – This is an exciting week to be a Canadian baseball fan. The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will announce its Jack Graney Award winner on Tuesday and its Tip O'Neill Award recipient on Thursday. The Graney... Continue Reading →
In the crazy baseball card market where Topps often publishes a "prospect" card (through their Bowman brand) well before the player's major league debut, this card is Jordan Romano's only official major league Topps card so far. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: - Canadian... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: - Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) pitched a scoreless inning in relief on Friday and picked up his first major league win in the Toronto Blue Jays' 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. With the win,... Continue Reading →