Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
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 →
As Reggie Cleveland warmed up in the bullpen at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium on October 16, 1975, he had no idea that he was about to become the first Canadian pitcher to start a World Series game. “No one told me that until years afterwards,” Cleveland told Brian Kendall for his 1995 book, Great Moments in... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Without Rod Carew, Tony Fernandez probably wouldn’t have recorded more hits than any other player in Toronto Blue Jays history. Fernandez, who rapped out 1,583 hits with the Blue Jays, idolized the Panama-born Hall of Famer and modeled his batting stance after him. And if you were lucky enough... 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 →
Long-time Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor became a fan favorite in Toronto after Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick signed him to a three-year deal prior to the 1993 season. What most Blue Jays fans might not know is that Molitor wasn't the first Hall of Fame Brewer that Gillick had targeted. I recently discovered an... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Longtime Montreal Expos fans won't be surprised to learn that Mike Schmidt belted his first major league home run against their beloved club. To many of them, it seemed like the Phillies star never stopped hitting home runs off of Expos hurlers during his Hall of Fame career. With... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations about stories around the baseball world from a Canadian perspective (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): - Dorchester, Ont., native Chris Robinson recorded his first big league hit in style last night when he belted a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning off of Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Eury De La Rosa.... Continue Reading →