Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: My condolences to the family of Charlottetown, P.E.I., native and ex-big leaguer Vern Handrahan who passed away after a long battle with cancer on Wednesday at the age of 79. One of just three big league players from P.E.I. (George Wood (Pownal, P.E.I.) and Henry... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: The 1982 Topps Montreal Expos Future Stars card (pictured above) showcases Terry Francona and Brad Mills together on their first Topps baseball card. Both played for the Expos’ only playoff team in 1981 and 35 years later, Mills is serving as Francona’s bench coach for... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Happy 64th Birthday to John Scott, the first player to walk to the plate in a major league game for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jackson, Miss., native struck out to lead off the bottom of the first inning in the Blue Jays’ inaugural... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Just when I wake up feeling everything is right in the sports world, I find out that Tie Domi has a best-selling book and Colby Rasmus will make $15.8 million in 2016. • Kevin Pillar’s Gold Glove snub makes me think that it’s time... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • When I was leafing through some old baseball cards, I stumbled upon a 1991 Upper Deck Tony Gwynn card (above). This card pictures Gwynn signing autographs at the SkyDome in Toronto prior to the 1991 all-star game. I can’t think of a better way... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • When Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) doubled off of right-hander Buck Farmer in the third inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on August 13, he became the 13th Canadian to collect 1,000 hits in their big league career. He also... Continue Reading →
A Canadian will be playing in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the 17th consecutive season. Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who grew up in Etobicoke, Ont., will start at first base for the National League in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic at Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y. Toronto-born reliever Jesse Crain, who has posted... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations about stories around the baseball world from a Canadian perspective (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): - Struggling ex-Toronto Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero - who was dropped from the club's 40-man roster on Saturday - could draw inspiration from Adam Lind, who, just over 12 months ago, was similarly removed from... Continue Reading →
Tom McKee, a member of the Toronto Blue Jays inaugural TV broadcast team, died on Monday at age 76. He passed away at the Southlake Regional Hospital in Newmarket, Ont., after a lengthy illness. Best known to baseball fans for his work on Jays’ telecasts – first on camera and later as a producer –... 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 - and still only - player to register their 3,000th hit outside of the United States. The sparse crowd of 13,540 rewarded the eight-time batting champ with a lengthy standing ovation... Continue Reading →