Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Among the pitchers that Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle has passed on the all-time wins list this season are Roy Halladay, Orel Hershiser and Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. But while I agree with the sabermetricians that say that wins aren’t a defining... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Just 35 days after Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, died, Mr. White Sox has also passed away. Legendary outfielder Minnie Minoso died early Sunday at the age of 90. The trailblazing Cuban, who suited up in major league games in five different decades, played parts... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • For Blue Jay fans lamenting the fact that Melky Cabrera has reportedly signed a three-year, $42-million contract with the Chicago White Sox, consider this, Cabrera’s 2014 WAR (an all-encompassing statistic that measures the number of wins (taking into account both offensive and defensive contributions)... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported on Friday that the Pittsburgh Pirates intend to extend a $15.3-million qualifying offer to free agent Russell Martin. Coming off one of his finest big league seasons, the Canadian catcher reportedly declined a multi-year offer by Pirates during... Continue Reading →
On December 23, 1974, Montreal Expos president John McHale and general manager Jim Fanning trekked to Ahoskie, N.C., to attempt to reel in a "Catfish." No, this wasn't a fishing expedition, but rather a pitch by the Expos' top executives to try to convince reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, Catfish Hunter, to toe... Continue Reading →
When Tony Gwynn slashed a single into centre field in the first inning on August 6, 1999 at Olympic Stadium, he became the first player to register their 3,000th big league hit outside of the United States. Numbering just 13,540, the small but boisterous Montreal crowd rewarded the eight-time batting champ with a lengthy standing... Continue Reading →
Courtesy of Adam Morrissette, Baseball Canada (www.baseball.ca) OTTAWA - Eric Wood (Pickering, ON) became the first Canadian selected in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft when the Pittsburgh Pirates took him in the sixth round, 196th overall. In total, nine Canadians were selected on day two of MLB’s First-Year Player Draft which saw rounds two... Continue Reading →
He once called his tenure as general manager of the Montreal Royals his best three years in baseball. That’s lofty praise when you consider that Buzzie Bavasi was the architect of four World Series-winning teams with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Assembling talent like Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider, the bold New Yorker also... Continue Reading →
For those requiring further evidence that Pat Gillick is a Hall of Fame general manager, I present the following transaction. On December 9, 1982, Gillick, while acting as the Jays GM, shipped pitcher Dale Murray and infielder Tom Dodd to the Yankees for Dave Collins (who would hit .308 and steal 60 bases for Toronto... Continue Reading →
Matt Stairs wants to be play at least one more season. “In a perfect situation, I’d love to go back to Boston because it’s close to home and I always loved hitting in that park,” Stairs told the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo in October. “But I’d play anywhere.” The 42-year-old New Brunswick native now resides... Continue Reading →